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LATEST NEWS ON THIS TOPIC

Global Push for Hydrogen Sidesteps Knowledge Gaps on Climate Impacts
As the global push for a hydrogen economy accelerates, researchers are urging policy-makers to address new knowledge and fill in some profound data gaps, with recent studies revealing the considerable global warming potential of a fuel that many fossils see as their industry’s best hope for a second life.

Trans Mountain Work Site Blocks Early Salmon Run on Coquihalla River, Local Observers Say
Campaigners and local residents are using photos, video, and drone footage to document a Trans Mountain pipeline work site they say is impeding an early salmon run and leaving dead fish along the Coquihalla River in British Columbia.

Ontario Pension Giant May Be Getting the Memo on Fossil Divestment, Members Say
As the burning of fossil fuels presents us with yet another summer of catastrophic impacts, the pressure is growing for pension funds to either phase out their oil, gas, coal, and pipeline assets or explain how they’re aligned with a safe retirement future for their beneficiaries. And Canada’s seventh-largest fund, the C$121-billion Ontario Municipal Employees’ Retirement System (OMERS), may be getting the memo, three of its members write for Corporate Knights.

Stranded Communities Hope for Emergency Food Supplies as Newfoundland Wildfires Rage
The reopening of a Newfoundland highway that had been closed for days because of raging wildfires provided hope Tuesday that much-needed supplies would finally arrive in stranded communities along the island’s south coast.

Shelling of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Plant Raises Fears for Nuclear Safety
In the wake of last week’s shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine, the United Nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and now G7 foreign ministers are urging Moscow to abandon the “suicidal” gambit of using the plant as a nuclear shield, and return it to Ukrainian control.

Drought Cuts Water Flow on Rhine River, Could Slow Delivery of Essential Goods
Water levels on the Rhine River could reach a critically low point in the coming days, German officials said Wednesday, making it increasingly difficult to transport goods—including coal and gasoline—as drought and an energy crisis grip Europe.

U.S. Boomers Mobilize to Support Climate Action
Baby boomers are often derided for not taking the climate crisis seriously enough, but many do feel responsible for the climate crisis, Nexus Media News reports. Some of them say they plan to dedicate the next stage of their lives to the climate movement.

Failing French Nuclear Plants Drive Up Electricity Costs as Heat Waves Cut Production
Heat waves and drought in France are adding to Europe’s energy crisis which began when Russian invaded Ukraine—but the decline in the French electricity production is not just a temporary blip. France’s nuclear industry is in serious trouble.

Canadians Share Stories of Fear, Vulnerability from 2021 Heat Dome
British Columbia and Alberta residents who endured last summer’s lethal heat dome say they feel fear, anger, and guilt in its aftermath, testifying to the urgent need for Canadians to take personal and political responsibility for climate change as extreme weather threatens the vulnerable.

Koch Network Pressures Manchin, Sinema as Advocates Praise ‘Game Changing’ Climate Deal
Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity turned up the heat on swing-vote senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, a wider network of business groups stepped up to defend the deal, and environmental justice campaigners decried concessions to oil and gas as advocates absorbed the details of the $369.75-billion climate and clean energy package announced last week by Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer.

Lethal UK Heat Wave Made ‘10 Times More Likely’ by Climate Change
As scientists confirm that climate change made the United Kingdom’s most recent devastating heat wave “at least 10 times more likely,” a frontrunner to replace Prime Minister Boris Johnson has invoked a notorious climate denier to defend her tax-cutting plan.

Analysis: Lax Offshore Oil Regulation Puts Atlantic Canada Ecosystems, Communities at Risk
Offshore oil and gas activities in Atlantic Canada are a genuine threat to the ocean ecosystem and exacerbate climate change, but the federal government is falling short in its plans to regulate that activity, writes Mark Brooks, senior specialist, oil and gas at WWF-Canada, in a recent post on the WWF blog.

UN Declares Healthy Environment a Human Right
Fifty years in the making, the United Nations’ recent overwhelming approval of a resolution recognizing the right to a “clean, healthy, and sustainable environment” is being heralded as a “victory for people and planet,” and a potential foundation for future legal action.

Congo Opens Rainforest for Exploration, Aims to Become ‘New Destination for Oil Investments’
A scant eight months after Congo President Félix Tshisekedi joined other world leaders in a 10-year pledge to protect the world’s second-largest rainforest, the country is setting out to become “the new destination for oil investments” by auctioning off vast swaths of territory for drilling—including carbon-heavy peatlands and parts of Virunga National Park, the world’s most important gorilla sanctuary.

Canada Faces Pushback Over Proposed Fertilizer Emissions Cuts
A campaign of misinformation is working to undermine a 30% fertilizer emissions reduction target in Canada’s next Agriculture Policy Framework (APF), says a national farmers’ coalition, contending that recently announced emissions policies actually don’t go far enough.

‘Scorcher’ Summer Set to Make 2022 the Fifth-Warmest Year on Record
Even with La Niña’s cooling effect on the tropical Pacific, 2022 is set to be the fifth warmest year on record after a “scorcher” summer brought record-breaking heat across the northern hemisphere, especially in continental Europe, the United Kingdom, China, and parts of the United States.

Record Temperatures Trigger Heat Alerts for Over 100 Million in U.S.
As brutal, extended heat waves bring record temperatures across the United States and put millions of residents at risk of heat stroke and death, the government has launched a website aiming to support heat resilience amid a climate crisis.

Trudeau Announces $255M for Nova Scotia Wind, Battery Projects, Keeps LNG Option Open
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Nova Scotia last Thursday to promise green energy funds for the province, but he also said the idea of upgraded facilities to help ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe in the “very short term” is back on the table.

Diplomats Make Progress on Loss and Damage, Leave Unfinished Business Before COP 27
Two days of negotiations in Berlin last week yielded decent progress on how the world’s richest countries can compensate the poorest for the impacts of climate change. But there’s a lot more ground to cover to deliver a fair, effective result at this year’s UN climate summit in November, Bloomberg Green reports.

Analysis: Media Reports Delay Climate Action by Missing the Story on Dutch Farmer Protests
When Dutch lawmakers proposed measures to reduce climate-busting nitrogen emissions in agriculture, nearly 40,000 livestock farmers took to the streets. But multiple news reports got the story wrong in ways that amplify myths and delay climate action, and the same problem has been playing out in Canada.

Neighbours Probably Want to Talk Climate, But Rarely Do, U.S. Research Finds
If you’ve been hesitating to talk with your neighbours about climate change, a number of recent studies suggest they’d likely be up for the conversation—as long as you’re ready to really listen, not lecture, and keep the focus local.

Biden Announces New Funding, Holds Off on Climate Emergency Declaration
U.S. President Joe Biden visited a former coal plant in Massachusetts yesterday to announce new areas for offshore wind farms, funding for home energy subsidies, and support for communities facing heat emergencies and other climate impacts. But he fell short of declaring a full-scale climate emergency, keeping a door open instead for an accommodation with renegade Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV).

‘Huge Political Embarrassment’ as High Court Declares UK’s Net-Zero Target Unlawful
Britain’s High Court has declared the country’s net-zero emissions strategy “unlawful”, capping a successful court challenge by Friends of the Earth UK, environmental law charity ClientEarth, and the Good Law Project.

Keystone Pipeline Outage Coincides with Local Heat Wave, TC Energy Blames ‘Third-Party Damage’
A heat emergency earlier this week in the U.S. Great Plains region forced the operator of the Keystone pipeline, Calgary-based TC Energy, to cut back its flow of what Bloomberg Markets calls a “crucial grade of oil” to refineries.

Hundreds Dead From Heat as Extreme Temperatures Scorch North Africa, Asia, Europe, China
Hundreds are dead from heat-related causes, tens of thousands are displaced by raging wildfires, and global food security is yet further threatened as vast swathes of western Europe, North Africa, and China continue to suffer in the grip of lethal heat.

Firefighters Lose Ground Against Wildfire Threatening Lytton, B.C.
Firefighting crews lost ground Sunday after successfully holding back a blaze threatening the village of Lytton in southern British Columbia—barely one year after it was burned to the ground by a raging wildfire that took two lives and displaced hundreds of residents.

Carbon Roadmap for Agriculture May Face Uphill Fight at Federal-Provincial Ministers’ Meeting
A detailed carbon reduction roadmap for agriculture will have to compete with a menu of other farm sector priorities at a high-level meeting in Saskatoon this week, as federal, provincial, and territorial ministers hash out the details of Canada’s next Agriculture Policy Framework (APF).

Newfoundland Wind Farm Would Power Coastal Green Hydrogen Plant
An environmental assessment for a one-gigawatt, 164-turbine wind farm/green hydrogen and ammonia park in rural Newfoundland is generating local concern about potential habitat impacts, while picking up some high-powered support for the community benefits the project would bring.

Nepali Drought Scientist Starts Her Own Research Institute to Probe Climate Impacts
From building low-cost, easily accessible meteorological stations that help citizen scientists fill data gaps, to securing the grants necessary to purchase vital computer modelling equipment, the Kathmandu Institute of Applied Science is helping Nepal deepen its understanding of how climate change, and drought in particular, affect the country.

Indigenous Leaders Point to Inaction on Escazú Agreement as UN Urges Signing
The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) is urging its member states to support the Escazú Agreement following the release of its final report last month, though some say there’s a lack of political will to implement the world’s first legally binding instrument to include provisions on environmental human rights defenders.

UK Climate Action Could Wane After Johnson Resigns as PM
Boris Johnson’s imminent departure as British Prime Minister is raising concern that the country will soon begin backsliding on its climate and nature commitments—even if those commitments consisted primarily of grand gestures, with relatively little practical action to back them up.

Michigan Regulator Probes Safety Risks of Line 5 Pipeline Tunnel
A Michigan regulatory panel said Thursday it needs more information about safety risks before it can rule on Calgary-based Enbridge Energy’s plan to extend the Line 5 pipeline through a tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac. The state Public Service Commission voted 3-0 to seek further details about the potential for explosions and fires involving […]

Wildfires Torch Parts of Northern Canada Triggering Smoke, Evacuation Alerts
With extreme heat continuing to feed an increasing number of wildfires in northern Canada, Yukon authorities say some residents must prepare to evacuate within two hours of notification, while in the Northwest Territories a government with stretched resources has asked locals to do their part to prevent unnecessary fires.

Species Extinction Threatens the Livelihoods of Billions, New Report Warns
With billions of people depending on wild flora and fauna for food, medicine, and energy, a million species are at risk of extinction due to the combined impacts of climate change, other forms of pollution, overexploitation, and deforestation, warns a new report backed by the United Nations.

Puerto Rico Claims World’s Biggest Battery-Based Power Plant as LNG Development Grinds On
The Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico is claiming a victory for grid resilience after the Caribbean island installed thousands of solar batteries in the wake of a devastating hurricane in 2017. But liquefied natural gas is still very much on the agenda for the local utility.

Time Running Out, Canada Hanging Back on Emergency Plan to Avert $20B Oil Spill Disaster
With a disabled oil supertanker in the Red Sea likely just weeks or months away from breaking up or exploding, triggering a $20-billion ecological and humanitarian disaster, countries that could help pay for an emergency salvage plan are saying they can’t find the right budget codes to free up the funds.

Calgary Adopts Net-Zero Climate Strategy, Ottawa Endorses Fossil Non-Proliferation Treaty
Two of Canada’s most influential cities stepped up this week with serious action on the climate emergency, with Calgary adopting a new emissions reduction strategy that includes a 2050 net-zero target and Ottawa endorsing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.

EU Adds Gas, Nuclear to Green Finance Taxonomy, Reversing Earlier Vote
The European Parliament looks likely to face legal challenges after voting yesterday to temporarily include natural gas and nuclear energy in its “taxonomy” of green energy technologies, potentially triggering billions of Euros in green investment for the two technologies.

Nature Restoration Without Fossil Phaseout ‘Only Marginally’ Reduces Global Warming
Restoring degraded environments, such as by planting trees, is an important climate solution but no substitute for preventing fossil fuel emissions to limit global warming, University of Melbourne researchers Kate Dooley and Zebedee Nicholls write in a post for The Conversation.

U.S. Looks to Other Options After Supreme Court Undercuts EPA Carbon Rules
(Part 2 of a series) In the wake of last week’s Supreme Court decision limiting government regulation of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, climate analysts and campaigners are now turning to other legislative options, state and city governments, market forces, and ultimately the ballot box for solutions.

From U.S. to Algeria, Methane Emissions ‘Headed in the Wrong Direction’
Undisciplined private operators in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico, and “old, leaky equipment” in fossil-producing nations like Algeria that have accelerated production in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are being blamed for a “worrisome” rise in methane emissions in the first quarter of 2022.

7 Dead, 5 Missing in Devastating Italian Glacier Collapse Linked to Climate Change
As search and rescue teams continue to discover body parts and hiking equipment in the wake of an avalanche in northeastern Italy that left seven people confirmed dead and five missing, glaciologists are confirming a “direct link” between the devastating ice collapse and climate change.

Conserving Water Saves Energy, Cuts Emissions, U.S. Utilities Find
As utilities and municipalities rush to conserve water so that no one is left thirsty, the Chicago-based Alliance of Water Efficiency is reminding policy-makers and the public that saving water also means saving energy and reducing carbon emissions.

BREAKING: No Public Finance for East Coast LNG Projects, Wilkinson Says
There will be no federal financing for two companies vying to export Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe from terminals on the East Coast, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said in a recent interview with the Globe and Mail.

Dire Living Conditions, Climate-Driven Heat Wave Produce Deadliest Human Smuggling Event in U.S. History
The 53 migrants who died from heat exhaustion in Texas after being abandoned in a sweltering tractor-trailer in 100°F heat were victims of vicious smugglers, inhumane laws, dire conditions at home, and a climate crisis that continues to pick off the world’s most vulnerable first.

Conservative Women Far More Likely Than Men to Support Green Transition, EcoAnalytics Research Finds
The first of our EcoA Tips, a new monthly series in The Energy Mix,highlights a surprising bit of data from a major survey by EcoAnalytics, a non-profit market research initiative that uses data and analysis to strengthen Canada’s environmental movement.

Montreal to Host New NATO Climate Centre as Military Analyst Confronts Global ‘Hyperthreat’
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has confirmed Montreal as the headquarters for its new Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence, just weeks after a retired Australian military officer published an analysis of the “hyperthreat” humanity faces due to the global climate emergency.

U.S. Methane Plan Gives Big Ag a Free Pass
Last November, the Biden administration in the United States released a Methane Emissions Reduction Plan that included detailed steps to reduce emissions of the potent planet-warming gas from the oil and gas industries and from landfills. Under the authority of the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would expand regulations on fossil energy companies and require landfills to significantly reduce their emissions.

Indoor Farming Revolution Comes with Significant Carbon Cost
Indoor farming could be a powerful solution for producing food in a volatile climate, but the benefits for the food system will come at the cost of a large carbon footprint as long as those new systems depend on natural gas for heat and power.

Southern Quebec Towns Scramble for Solutions as Water Sources Dwindle
As early spring heat, increasingly dry summers, and high demand for water drain rivers and aquifers, municipalities across southern Quebec are sounding the alarm on what they know will be a long-term problem they currently have neither the data nor the tax base to resolve.

Ex-Fossil Workers Convert Old Oilfields to Solar Farms After ‘Rapid Upskilling’ in Alberta
A group of 15 trainees will be heading out into the field to begin converting two Alberta oilfield sites into solar farms, after graduating from a rapid upskilling program for fossil industry and Indigenous workers hosted by Iron & Earth and Medicine Hat College.

G7 Miss ‘Golden Opportunity’, Walk Back Pledge to Cut International Fossil Finance
G7 leaders meeting in Bavaria this week affirmed their rhetorical commitment to climate action but walked back a month-old promise to swiftly end public investment in overseas fossil fuel projects as they sought to grapple with the energy crisis brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Windfall Tax on Food, Fossil, Pharma Giants Would Raise $490B to Solve ‘Catastrophic’ Food Crisis: Oxfam
Food, fossil fuel, and pharmaceutical companies that have enjoyed bumper profits in the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath should be hit with a substantial windfall tax on their excess income, the global head of Oxfam has said.

Comox Joins Municipalities Seeking Ban on New Gas Stations
Less than a year after Petaluma, California, became the first city in the world to ban new gas stations, four others have passed similar policies, and at least six more are working on it, including the infamously car-centric Los Angeles—and the British Columbia town of Comox.

Advocate Urges Ottawa to Intervene Before Ontario Builds Highway 413
Citing the Ontario government’s poor track record on endangered species protection, as well as the need to address First Nations’ concerns and respond to the imperatives of the climate crisis, Environmental Defence Canada is urging Ottawa to conduct a full environmental impact assessment of Highway 413.

Refocus Agriculture Spending to Cut Emissions, Boost Productivity, OECD Urges Governments
While global spending on agriculture has increased, critical support to help the sector build resilience and reduce emissions has decreased, an international agency concludes, even though effective policies are vital to avert a global disaster as food supplies are threatened by climate disasters and the war in Ukraine.

Public Vigilance Key to Protecting Greenbelts for Climate Resilience, Report Finds
Public vigilance will be vital to preserving the well-being of the world’s greenbelts, which are needed more than ever but increasingly under threat, says a new report produced by the Ontario-based Greenbelt Foundation.

Climate Solutions Deliver ‘Widespread Benefits’ Amid Global Crisis
Hydroponic farms in shipping containers and software poised to turn electric vehicle (EV) owners into well-paid electricity providers are among the ingenious innovations that are signs of a better world to come—despite all the evidence to the contrary, the Toronto Star reports.

Soaring Fertilizer Prices Could Deliver ‘Silver Lining’ for Emissions, But Farmers Struggle to Limit Use
The sudden rise in fertilizer prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could have implications for global emissions by reducing how much of it farmers use in their fields. But experts say there’s more to the picture, with non-monetary variables like human capital making a big impact on farming decisions.

Animal Agriculture Could Reduce Future Pandemic Risk, UK Researchers Say
British researchers have produced a new twist to the great pandemic debate, arguing that intensive livestock farming—the crowding of animals into feedlots and factory farms in ways widely blamed for spreading new disease—might actually help reduce the risks of introducing new and potentially devastating global pandemics from the wild.

Suspend Transit Fares, Not Gas Tax, Climate Advocates Urge Biden
The Joe Biden administration in the United States should be pushing for a transit fare holiday—and a windfall profit tax on fossil revenues—not a gas tax holiday, a measure critics are panning as anti-climate action that will do nothing to help consumers cope with inflation.

Pandemic Drives Up Support for Climate Action, Pessimism About Elected Leaders
As spiking inflation converges with an unequal post-pandemic recovery and an ever-escalating climate crisis, economists warn of widespread public pessimism about the future that is rapidly curdling into violent despair, especially among young men in many of the world’s poorer countries.

Japan, Korea Sell Vietnam on Gas Amid Crackdown on Climate Activists
In a shifting landscape of climate policies in Vietnam—as indicated by the recent arrest of anti-coal activist Nguy Thi Khanh—Japanese and Korean lobbyists are seizing the moment to push gas infrastructure into the country’s energy planning.

Yellowstone Park Reopens, But Flood Recovery Could Take Years, Cost Billions
Yellowstone National Park partly reopened yesterday after devastating floods forced the shutdown of one of the United States’ most beloved natural sites. But park staff were still adding up the damage and projecting a recovery that could take several years and cost more than US$1 billion.

North American Steel, Aluminium Giants Lumber Toward Green Transition
Canadian steel giant Dofasco and United States aluminium titan Alcoa are trying to “green” their notoriously polluting industries, as climate and public health concerns escalate. But with technology and energy gaps are complicating the effort.

Canadian Farmers Offer Ottawa a Roadmap to Cut Agriculture Emissions
With ministers meeting in one month to negotiate Canada’s next Agricultural Policy Framework (APF)—an agreement that will govern agriculture spending for the next five years—a farmer-led coalition has released a roadmap to boost adoption of climate-friendly farming practices from coast to coast.

Millions Face Famine as Climate Disasters, Ukraine War Slash Food Supplies
Nearly 750,000 people around the world are facing a food security “catastrophe,” and a further 49 million risk famine conditions in the coming months, as Russia’s war on Ukraine disrupts grain exports, compounding extreme food shortages caused by the climate-driven devastation of harvests in India.

BREAKING: UN Nature Summit, the ‘Paris Conference for Biodiversity’, Moves to Montreal in December
Montreal will host a long-delayed United Nations nature summit December 5-17 that has been described as the Paris Conference for biodiversity, after Canada and China agreed to relocate the high-stakes negotiating session that was originally meant to take place in Kunming, China in October 2020.

Europe Outshines North America in New Sustainable Cities Ranking
When it comes to sustainable cities, Scandinavia is knocking it out of the park, according to the world’s first-ever crowdsourced urban sustainability index, with Stockholm scoring highest and Oslo, Copenhagen, and Lahti, Finland close behind on a list of 50 high- and middle-income cities.

Countries Pledge Faster Action on Methane, Cleantech, ZEV’s, Food Security at Biden Climate Forum
Countries accounting for about 80% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and economic output made new promises on methane controls, clean energy technology demonstrations, zero-emission vehicles, food security and agriculture emissions, and green shipping at a Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate convened by U.S. President Joe Biden June 17.

Lacklustre Policies in Ontario Force Ottawa to Lead on Climate: Winfield
With the Ford government situated firmly in office for a second term after an election that saw the lowest voter turnout in Ontario’s history, it’s likely that any future climate action will need to be led by the federal government, says Mark Winfield, a professor of environmental and urban change at York University, in a recent op ed.

Montreal to Turn Major Street Into Pedestrian-Friendly Linear Park
Determined to provide residents and visitors with “an experience of summer comfort in the city,” Montreal has closed two and a half kilometers of a major urban street to vehicle traffic for the summer, opening it up to pedestrians and filling it with art, entertainment, food, and lots of plant-filled spaces to sit.

Historical Record Shows Drought, Hunger as Catalyst for New World Religion
Once again, climate science has helped light up ancient history. Researchers have found evidence of prolonged and devastating drought in the south Arabian Peninsula that enfeebled an ancient kingdom and created conditions ripe for the arrival of a new faith: Islam.

Oceans Are ‘Powerful Solution’ in Climate Fight, 93-Member Coalition Tells Biden
Delivering “a message of hope and action,” a 93-member coalition of environmental groups, aquariums, and outdoor recreation companies is urging the Biden administration in the United States to recognize that restoring and protecting the world’s oceans can help limit global heating to 1.5°C.

‘LET’S SUE BIG OIL’: Legal Team Launches Class Action Campaign for B.C. Municipalities
An environmental law non-profit in Vancouver is inviting British Columbia municipalities to join a class action lawsuit to hold some of the world’s biggest fossil companies responsible for their share of the climate damages local communities are experiencing.

‘It Could Have Been Any of Us’, Colleague Says, After Brazil Confirms Murders of Bruno Pereira, Dom Phillips
Journalists, Indigenous and human rights campaigners, and climate and land defenders are mourning a monumental loss and demanding answers after authorities confirmed that Brazilian Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips were murdered in the Javari region of the Amazon earlier this month. “For environmental journalists and environmentalists in Brazil, Dom’s loss and […]

Infrastructure Gap a ‘Life and Death’ Matter as Northern Canada Warms
The first major assessment of the costs of climate change to infrastructure across Northern Canada calls for action from all levels of government to bring about “transformative adaptation” and address the dual crises of climate hazards and infrastructure gaps.

B.C. Building Code Changes ‘Insufficient’ Against Deadly Hot Summers
The British Columbia coroner’s report on last year’s 619 extreme-heat-related deaths in the province recommends building codes be updated to require cooling systems, but experts call that measure a “necessary but insufficient action” as Canadian summers grow dangerously hotter.

Get Set for Decades of Sea Level Rise, Studies Warn
The small glaciers of Greenland are shrinking faster than ever. In the first years of this century, they were measured as losing ice at the rate of 27 billion tonnes a year. Between October 2018 to December 2021, that rate grew to more than 42 billion tonnes a year, a 55% increase.

Rich Countries’ ‘Hypocrisy’ Blocks Progress on Climate Disaster Funding, Negotiators Say
The world’s richest countries stood accused of hypocrisy and international negotiators were left with a long list of issues to tie up after the UN climate secretariat hosted two weeks of talks leading up to the COP 27 summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt later this year.

Russia’s Fossil Revenue Exceeded Cost of Ukraine Invasion
Bankrolled by fossil revenues, Vladimir Putin’s war machine will take a serious hit once the European Union’s ban on Russian oil imports arriving by sea kicks in at the end of 2022, predicts a new report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

Young Mothers, Pregnant Women Bear Brunt of Climate Change in Earth’s Hottest City
Giving birth in 50°C heat, and forced by their circumstances to work very shortly afterwards, young mothers of southern Pakistan and their pregnant peers suffer cruelly from global heating, confirming the gendered nature of the climate crisis, say public health experts.

UN Turns to Crowdfunding to Remove ‘Floating Time Bomb’ Supertanker from Red Sea
The United Nations has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help close a $20-million gap on the US$80 million needed for the “emergency phase” of removing the FSO Safer oil tanker currently rusting off Yemen’s Red Sea coast.

BREAKING: Energy Transition ‘Not Happening’ as Fossil Subsidies Fuel Historic Missed Opportunity
The countries of the world missed an “historic chance for a clean energy recovery” from the COVID-19 pandemic and saw renewable energy stagnate due to a surge of fossil fuel subsidies last year, the REN 21 Secretariat reports this morning in its Renewables 2022 Global Status Report.

Poor Communities Fare Worst as Extreme Heat Closes U.S. Schools
Extreme heat and humidity is inhibiting learning and leaving teachers in the United States anxious for the well-being of their students, as researchers estimate that by 2025, one in four public schools in the country will need to install air conditioning or upgrade their existing ventilation systems.

Civilian Climate Corps Delivers Green Jobs, Training to Avert New York Gun Violence
BlocPower’s Civilian Climate Corps provides paid, on-the-job training to New Yorkers who live in neighbourhoods with high rates of gun violence, aiming to start them on their way to a career in the city’s fast-growing green construction and clean energy trades.

High Gas Prices Have Floridians Second-Guessing Hurricane Evacuation Orders
As gasoline prices skyrocket in the Sunshine State, so does reluctance to obey hurricane evacuation orders, with a survey finding more than 40% of Florida respondents likely to put their pocketbooks ahead of their personal safety.

Hopes Fade of Finding Missing UK Journalist, Brazilian Indigenous Expert Alive
As the search continues for missing British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian Indigenous expert Bruno Araújo Pereira—both recipients of regular death threats for their work to protect the Amazon’s Indigenous peoples—their loved ones have lost hope of finding them alive.

Takaro Doesn’t Deserve Prison for Tree-Sitting Pipeline Protest, Boothroyd Argues
Public health doctor, pipeline protester, and renowned tree-sitter Tim Takaro doesn’t deserve four weeks in prison for violating a court injunction against blocking construction of the controversial Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, climate communicator James Boothroyd writes in an op ed for the Toronto Star.

Europe’s Renewable Energy Communities Offer Lessons on Energy Equity
Europe’s decades-old renewable energy communities (RECs)—where a group of residents produce their own energy instead of buying it from a third-party—can offer policy-makers valuable lessons on how to match renewable energy targets with the goal of energy equity.

Vanishing Great Salt Lake Will Leave Behind a Bed of Toxic Dust, Scientists Warn
As a devastating drought threatens to dry up Utah’s Great Salt Lake, scientists warn of environmental apocalypses to ensue: millions of migratory birds will go hungry after losing their feeding grounds, and nearby residents will be exposed to dust clouds filled with arsenic.

Line 5 Closure Brings Negligible Rise in Gas Prices, Enbridge Consultant Finds
A consulting report for Enbridge Inc. estimates the closure of the Line 5 pipeline would lead to an increase of one to two cents per litre in gasoline prices for Ontarians and Quebecers, a revelation that has reignited debate on the true economic impacts of shuttering an aging pipeline with very clear environmental risks.

Ottawa’s New Carbon Offset Market Lets Big Industry Keep Polluting, Critics Warn
Canada’s first federal carbon offset market kicked off Wednesday as the final piece of the puzzle in the carbon price for big industry takes shape. Climate activists say it simply makes it cheaper for big industry to keep polluting.

Canada, California Agree to ‘Modest Expansion’ of 2019 Climate Action Plan
Canada and California are kindred progressive spirits on climate change, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday, as he and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled a new blueprint for working together to stave off the worst consequences of a warming planet.

EU’s Plans for New Gas Infrastructure Breach Climate Rules, Lawyers Say
The European Union’s plan to build new natural gas infrastructure is illegal under its own climate laws and won’t solve the fossil energy crunch triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine, climate lawyers with London, UK-based Client Earth are arguing.

Dismantle Nord Stream 2 Pipeline to Head Off Ecological Damage, EU Groups Urge
Environmental groups are warning that the 1,200-kilometre Nord Stream 2 pipeline under the Baltic Sea could become an environmental hazard and a source of atmospheric methane if it is left to decay after stopping routine service and maintenance.

Coroner’s Heat Dome Report Calls for Better Supports After B.C. Pledges Heat Alert System
British Columbia has more ground to cover to protect people and communities from heat emergencies, even though the province would be better prepared now to withstand the heat dome that resulted in more than 600 deaths last summer, says the chief medical officer at BC’s Coroners Service.

Projects Push Renewables Ahead on Canada’s East, West Coasts
Canada’s shift to local renewables is in full swing from coast to coast, with Indigenous-owned hydroelectric and heat pump projects afoot in British Columbia, a 21-megawatt solar and storage project under way in Prince Edward Island, and new wind turbines coming to New Brunswick.

Africa Needs Better Extreme Weather Warnings, Experts Say
Better climate-related research and early warning systems are needed as extreme weather—from cyclones to drought—continues to afflict the African continent, said Sudanese billionaire and philanthropist Mo Ibrahim, who heads up his own foundation.

Residents Near U.S. Fossil Facilities Fear Pollution Surge Due to Ukraine War
Communities near fracking operations and liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in the United States are worried that industrial expansion prompted by Russia’s war in Ukraine will bring them increasing and longer-term exposure to health-threatening pollutants.

Alaska Embraces Microgrids, Battery Storage in Shift off Expensive Fossils
Worried about food security and determined to boost resilience while cutting energy costs, traditionally oil-dependent Alaska is looking to develop new microgrids and upgrade existing fossil-fueled ones—with renewables and storage.

Scientists, Politicians Debate Ethics of ‘Climate Tinkering’
Tinkering with the planet’s air to cool Earth’s ever-warming climate is inching close enough to reality that two different high-powered groups—one consisting of scientists, the other involving former world leaders including former Canadian prime minister Kim Campbell—are trying to come up with ethics and governing guidelines.

Women, Children Bear the Brunt in Drought-Stricken East Africa
Two years into its worst drought in four decades, distress in the Horn of Africa is deepening, with more than 16 million people now at risk of profound water and food insecurity, and the women and children of the region’s pastoralist communities suffering most.

U.S. Transit Agency Electrifies 18 Years Ahead of Schedule, Cuts Emissions, Creates Jobs
A transit agency in California is drastically reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, saving money, and creating hundreds of jobs after shifting its entire 87-bus fleet from diesel to electric, 18 years ahead of the state mandate that would have required the new vehicles.

California Drought Raises Tensions As Water Scarcity Drives Unprecedented Measures
California’s unrelenting drought is straining the state’s resources and inflaming tensions in the legislature, as crucial drought relief policies and action are delayed by competing priorities like the pandemic, homelessness, and wildfires.

Montreal Airport Records Shocking Levels of Lung-Damaging Black Carbon
A recent study showing that levels of lung-damaging black carbon pollution at the Trudeau International Airport are 400% higher than in downtown Montreal has left those who live nearby anxious about their health, and at least one academic urging a rethink on the airport’s planned expansion.

Webzine Uses Comic Strip Characters to Counter Creeping Ecofascism
Responding to the creep of ecofascist rhetoric into mainstream discourse, as well as to the demonstrably vicious ecofascist “creeps” themselves, a group of American academics have created a webzine that uses Marvel comic characters to educate the public about the dangerous fallacies driving far-right thinking on environmental crises like climate change.

EU to ‘Head Off Multiple Crises’ by Cutting Oil and Gas, Boosting Renewables
With the Trudeau government continuing to tout liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to help Europe free itself from dependence on Russian supplies, a new report says the continent is poised to boost renewable energy and reduce fossil fuels to just 18% of its electricity production by 2030, with the biggest importers of Russian oil and gas leading the way.

B.C. Charges 15 Wet’suwet’en Defenders with Criminal Contempt
The British Columbia Prosecution Service said 15 people are being charged with criminal contempt of court following protests last fall over a natural gas pipeline being built near Houston in northern B.C. Those charged are alleged to have breached a B.C. Supreme Court injunction granted to the controversial Coastal GasLink pipeline in 2019 that prohibited […]

EU Turns to Methane-Leaking Algeria in Bid to Cut Russian Fuel Imports
As the European Union rushes to wean itself off fossil fuels from Russia, it is exploring a “you collect/we buy” scheme to import more liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Algeria, while simultaneously addressing massive methane leaks in the North African nation’s facilities.

Small Modular Nukes Produce More Radioactive Waste than Traditional Ones, Study Finds
Small modular reactors, (SMRs), seen by the beleaguered nuclear industry as a shining hope for a global revival, may have hit a serious snag. A new study finds that mini-nuclear power stations produce higher volumes of radioactive waste per unit of generation than larger-scale traditional ones.

Climate Disasters Force Care Workers to Double as First Responders
With long-term care workers and nursing assistants increasingly taking on the role of first responders during climate-driven disasters like wildfires and heat waves, California has launched a pilot project to train them for the new responsibility, while their union pushes for better wages and benefits to match the added work load.

Sheep Grazed Under Solar Panels Produce Better Fleece in Australian Pilot
A trial of sheep grazing under solar panels in New South Wales could lead to further research, after local graziers claimed that panel-bedecked pastures better sustained feed supplies through drought and improved the wool quality of their flocks.

Officials Visit Melting Glaciers in Peru in Climate Case Against German Utility RWE
A groundbreaking climate lawsuit—filed by a Peruvian farmer who alleges high-emitting German utility RWE knowingly contributed to climate change and the flood threat he faces—entered a decisive phase last week as German court officials travelled to Huarez, Peru, to examine melting glaciers.

Vanuatu Declares Climate Emergency, Urges ‘Responsible Nations’ to Respond
The tiny south Pacific nation Vanuatu has declared a climate emergency, hoping to garner global support for its bid to have the International Court of Justice (ICJ) affirm that vulnerable nations must be protected from climate change.

Ford Government Pushes Urban Sprawl, Rural Communities Push Back
With Ontario voters going to the polls tomorrow, the battle is still on to protect the province’s rural communities from urban sprawl, amped up by Ministerial Zoning Orders (MZOs) that have enabled the Ford government to rezone land without a municipal council’s permission.

Study Finds Cities Unprepared as Climate Change Intensifies Heat Waves
Nearly 20 years after a summer heat wave took 70,000 lives across Europe, even cities focused on climate action aren’t paying sufficient attention to the deepening peril of urban heat stress, finds a recent study, while cities in the developing world urgently need to develop long-term cooling strategies for their most vulnerable.

G7 Ministers Declare 2035 Clean Grid Target, Postpone Decisions on Climate Finance
The Group of Seven western industrialized countries set a 2035 deadline to decarbonize electricity generation, promised to end international public financing of fossil fuels this year, cited Russia’s war in Ukraine as a catalyst for a faster fossil phaseout, but left themselves a long list of agenda items on climate finance as they tied up a marathon series of ministerial meetings in Germany last week.

Climate Inaction Would Cost $178 Trillion by 2070, Deloitte Warns
Business-as-usual inaction on climate change could cost the world’s economy US$178 trillion by 2070, while a concerted and collaborative global push for net-zero could see $43 trillion in economic growth over the same period, says a new report from the Deloitte Center for Sustainable Progress.

Energy Shortages, Searing Heat to Produce Widespread Blackouts This Summer
A lethal combination of energy shortages and searing heat is poised to generate enormous suffering in many parts of the world this summer, especially for the poor, the elderly, and those living in Asia, southern Africa, eastern Europe, and the American Midwest.

Alberta Oil Operations Leak Billions of Litres of Toxic Waste Per Year, Study Finds
Forty years of largely unregulated growth have left 1.4 trillion litres of toxic tar sands/oil sands tailings sloshing around in “ponds” on the shores of the Athabasca River, devastating ecosystems and First Nations communities with neither plan nor budget for reclamation, says a new report from Environmental Defence.

In Depth: Departing Consultant Contrasts Shell’s Safety Commitment with ‘Complete Greenwash’ on Climate
The senior safety consultant whose high-profile resignation from Shell spotlighted the company’s “extreme harms” to the environment is drawing a sharp contrast between the colossal fossil’s enduring interest in safer work processes and its failure to deliver on its highly-touted emissions reduction plan.

Ford Mistakenly Calls Massive Storm a ‘Once in a Lifetime’ Event as Death Toll Hit 11
Ontario opposition politicians sharpened their focus on climate policy in the dying days of the provincial election campaign after Conservative leader Doug Ford mistakenly called the massive storm that hit Ottawa and parts of Ontario and Quebec on Saturday a “once in a lifetime” event.

Spring Brings Deadly Floods, Heat Waves to Indian Subcontinent
The climate crisis brought death and devastation to India and Bangladesh this spring, with at least 60 people killed so far by flooding, landslides, or lightning strikes, at least another 90 lost to extreme heat, and millions displaced from their homes.

Humanity Faces ‘Twin Crises’ of Environmental Threats, Growing Armed Conflict, SIPRI Warns
Environmental degradation and rising insecurity are twin crises that, together, threaten to turn back decades of economic and social progress while governments look away instead of taking action, a new report warns.

ESG Investors Urge Livestock Industry to Diversify, Innovate to Dodge ‘Apollo 13 Moment’
An ESG investors’ network is urging the animal agriculture industry, which is facing a cascade of climate-related risks, to align itself with climate goals and diversify into sustainable protein production to help avoid an exodus of financing and the most dire consequences of climate change.

Bahamas to Offer ‘Blue Carbon’ Credits for Ecosystem Protection
The Bahamas is planning to offer “blue carbon” credits for companies aiming to offset their greenhouse gas emissions, promising to restore and protect seagrass beds and mangrove trees while raising funds to pay for badly-needed climate resilience projects.

‘Wet Farming’ Essential to Restore Peatlands, Keep Warming Below 2°C
Across the globe, peatlands are under threat and their destruction is contributing to climate change. In Canada, Europe, and the tropics, peatlands are being drained for urban, suburban, and infrastructure expansion, converted to dryland agriculture, and mined for fuel and the horticulture industry, researchers Rafael Ziegler, Magali Simard, Rahma Eldeeb write for The Conversation.

Mounting Drought Risk Confronts London, Other World Cities
With many of the world’s cities, and especially their poorest citizens, facing increasing risks of drought and water shortages, faster emissions cuts and the long overdue establishment of an international fund for loss and damage are needed, says a new report.

Six Traumatic Years After ‘The Beast’, Fort McMurray Remains Loyal to Big Oil
Though residents remain traumatized six years after the wildfire known as “The Beast” tore through Fort McMurray, Alberta, their fierce loyalty to Alberta’s fossil energy industry leaves many unwilling to connect the dots between greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels and the increasing ferocity of wildfires.

U.S. Can’t Drill Its Way to Energy Security, Jenkins Warns
The war in Ukraine is increasing gasoline prices in America despite the country’s status as the world’s largest oil producer, demonstrating why the United States “cannot drill its way to energy security” and should instead invest in renewables, writes Princeton University energy specialist Jesse Jenkins.

Ontario’s New Highway 413 Would Boost Emissions, Bake In ‘Auto-Dependent Sprawl’
Conservative leader Doug Ford’s promise to build Highway 413, a proposed suburban superhighway ring road to the west and north of Toronto, would lock in a massive increase in climate-changing emissions and other damaging impacts for decades to come, critics say.

Fossils Liable For Human Rights Violations in Landmark Ruling by Philippines Commission
Nine years after Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines, a human rights board has determined that the world’s largest fossil fuel companies “engaged in willful obfuscation and obstruction to prevent meaningful climate action,” concluding that corporations have obligations under human rights law and can be held liable if they neglect them.

UK Activists Block Russian Oil Tanker From Docking in Essex
Police in the United Kingdom arrested 15 Greenpeace activists on Monday after they blocked a Russian tanker from docking in Essex. The campaigners said the tanker contained diesel fuel worth US$36.5 million that would fund Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Lack of Consent Drives Indigenous Opposition to Ontario’s Ring of Fire Mining Plan
By pushing forward Ring of Fire mining and smelting development projects in northern Ontario, experts say federal and provincial governments are failing to recognize the right to free, informed, and prior consent enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), ratified by the Canadian government.

Op Ed Slams Ford’s ‘Dismal’ Climate and Environment Record in Ontario
Ontario voters concerned about global heating and other environmental problems will find no champion in Doug Ford, given his track record of catering to developers and heavy industry at the expense of the public good, warns a recent op ed in the Toronto Star.

Floating Tidal Project Linked to Nova Scotia Grid in Canadian First
A floating tidal energy project in the Bay of Fundy has been successfully connected to Nova Scotia’s grid, an undertaking that marks a milestone for Canada’s marine energy ambitions, say proponents, as the bay’s tidal resources could be harnessed for thousands of megawatts of clean energy in the future.

New Mexico Wildfire Threatens Wildfire Research Lab with Evacuation
Public schools were closed and evacuation bags packed late last week as a stubborn wildfire crept within a few miles of the city of Los Alamos and its companion U.S. national security lab—where assessing apocalyptic threats is a specialty and wildland fire is a beguiling equation.

EXCLUSIVE: Bid to Revive Doomed Nova Scotia LNG Project Collides with Germany’s Net-Zero Plans
The Trudeau government is talking up prospects for a new gas export deal to Germany involving a project that has already been proposed and withdrawn, a gas field in the Alberta foothills that has drawn scrutiny from provincial regulators, a financing scheme that will likely need federal backing to succeed, a route that may need U.S. regulatory approval, and a timeline that will likely be cut short by Europe’s rapid decarbonization plans, The Energy Mix has learned.

3,800 Residents Ordered to Evacuate after Flooding in Hay River, NWT
As they struggle with the immediate impacts of the flooding that has inundated HayRiver, Northwest Territories, anxious locals are questioning their municipality’s ability to respond in a climate-changed world where such disasters are growing more common and severe.

India Halts Wheat Exports to Protect Food Security as Southeast Asia Faces Deadly Heat Wave
The international community is gearing for global market shocks after India, the world’s second-largest wheat producer, halted most wheat exports to protect its national food security, while advocates call for greater attention to the entire Southeast Asian region gripped by the same deadly heat wave.

Cities Must Prepare for Waves of Climate Refugees: Panel
The current narrative linking international human migration with increased security risks should not be accepted at face value, say experts, and policy-makers must focus on building cohesive strategies and support systems for migration within borders in anticipation of large influxes of climate refugees, a conference audience heard last week.

Canadian Solar Announces Probe into Forced Labour Allegations
Canadian Solar Inc. has announced an investigation to determine whether any workers at its photovoltaic plant in China’s Xinjiang region were hired against their will, though the company claimed in the past it would be impossible to determine if its supply chain used forced labour.

Quebec Ignores Caribou Herds on Verge of Extinction
Canada’s collective failure to protect endangered boreal caribou herds and the forests on which they depend owes to a longstanding determination to put jobs and profits above the health and well-being of wildlife—a determination on particularly short-sighted display in Quebec, a new analysis concludes.

New ‘Business As Usual’ with Russia Affects Arctic Climate Response, Experts Say
As global heating brings dire ecological challenges and new resource opportunities to the Arctic, international security experts agree that stakeholder nations must work together to navigate the changing security dynamics—with the exclusion of Russia, whose war in Ukraine is threatening international order.

Court in India Rules Nature has Legal Rights on Par with Humans
A recent state court ruling in India that Nature has the same legal status as a human being is being celebrated for breaking with environmental law as usual, but also criticized as a missed opportunity to invoke the less legally vexing but still evolving principle of “legal naturehood”.

50-50 Chance of Breaching 1.5°C in Next Five Years, UK Met Office Warns
Annual average global warming has a 50-50 chance of blowing past the crucial 1.5°C threshold in at least one of the next five years, and at least one year between 2022 to 2026 has 93% odds of being the warmest on record, according to analysis produced by the UK Met Office and released this week by the World Meteorological Organization.

Heavy Industry Town in B.C. Embraces 100% Renewable Energy Transition
A heavy industry town in British Columbia with an ingrained suspicion of government has decided to say yes to a 100% renewable energy transition by 2050, after a local climate group spent time meeting people where they’re at with curiosity and compassion—a hallmark of the “deep canvassing” technique.

Warming Could Boost Food Security in Northern Canada, But Major Questions Remain
The changing agricultural landscape of Canada’s Northwest Territories is showing how rising global temperatures could affect food production, as growing conditions in the North become increasingly favourable, while heat waves and drought desiccate farmland in other regions.

2017 Floods in Eastern Australia Produced Deluge of Mental Health Problems
The 2017 floods in Australia’s New South Wales has left the state facing a potential epidemic of mental health problems, say researchers. They’re urging the government to support long-term mental health and community services for flood-affected residents.

Shift from Meat to Microbial Protein Could Cut Deforestation, Emissions by Half, Study Finds
Substituting meat from cattle and other ruminants with microbial protein grown in bioreactors could greatly reduce deforestation and emissions from global meat consumption by mid-century, according to a study in the journal Nature.

Electrifying Transport Could Eliminate Global Tensions Fueled by Oil
Major geopolitical tensions could be resolved by electrifying transportation, a change that would dilute the concentration of power held by oil producers and redistribute it across producers of solar, wind, and other clean energies, analysts say.

Texas Recovery Program Leaves Black, Hispanic Communities Waiting after Hurricane Harvey
A Texas state program to allocate federal aid for rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey unfairly overlooks Houston’s Black and Hispanic neighborhoods after it designed a competition-based application process that favoured smaller, predominantly white counties, community advocates say.

Wisconsin Band Seeks Ruling to Evict Enbridge Line 5 from Indigenous Territory
A Wisconsin Indigenous band is seeking a permit to immediately evict the Line 5 pipeline from its land, creating a second shutdown risk for a piece of fossil infrastructure that has already faced closure threats from the Michigan government, as well as other Indigenous and environmental groups.

‘Terrifying’ Regulatory Gaps Leave U.S. Unprepared for Massive CO2 Pipeline Expansion, Experts Warn
Carbon dioxide pipelines supporting a fast uptick in carbon capture and storage (CCS) could threaten the safety of countless communities across the United States, say experts, due to federal pipeline safety regulations that are woefully inadequate to cover the “flurry of multibillion-dollar CO2 pipeline proposals” now eligible for tax credits.

‘Collective Complacency’ to Produce 560 Disasters Per Year by 2030, UN Report Warns
“Collective complacency” in the face of the climate crisis and other human-caused catastrophes is setting the world up for 560 disasters a year by 2030, according to a new UN report that says humans are overly optimistic and have made short-sighted decisions so far.

Lithium Mining Review Urges Protections for Environment, Local Communities
Mining of lithium in South America’s Atacama Plateau creates “severe” impacts for local communities and the environment that need to be addressed as production surges to meet growing demand for electric vehicle batteries and other power storage.

Massive New Mexico Wildfire Puts Locals Under ‘Dark Cloud’ of Anxiety, Loss
With the worst of the thick wildfire smoke having blown out of town, residents of this small northern New Mexico city of Las Vegas tried to recapture a sense of normalcy Saturday as their rural neighbours hunkered down amid predictions of extreme fire conditions.

B.C., Alberta Faced Record-Setting Extremes During 2021 Heat Dome
The murderous heat and wildfires that claimed lives and destroyed property in British Columbia and other parts of North America in June, 2021 has hit the global record books. According to a new statistical study, only five other heat waves worldwide since 1960 have been more extreme.

Climate Change Increases Risk of Animal Disease Spreading to Humans, Study Finds
Climate change has already created thousands more opportunities for viruses to jump to new hosts, as mammal species are driven to new geographic ranges and mingle in new combinations, say scientists in a study that finds bats responsible for the majority of novel virus sharing—along pathways that facilitate emergence in humans.

Heat, Drought, Fire, Hunger: Studies Portend ‘Ferocious’ Conditions as Ecosystems Shift
Four new studies—each quite separate—appear to confirm that heat, drought, and hunger on massive scales can only get worse with rising global temperatures. One of the most ominous is a prediction that ferocious summer temperatures and extended droughts are increasingly likely to happen simultaneously.

Still Too Many Coal Plants to Keep Warming Below 1.5°C, Report Finds
Even after last year’s 13% decline in global coal capacity to a record low, steeper cuts are needed to keep global heating below 1.5°C, finds a new report by Global Energy Monitor. But the effort to cut coal consumption is being hampered by spiking electricity demand after the pandemic, coupled with supply shocks from Russia’s war in Ukraine.

‘Tail Wags the Dog’ as BC Hydro Accused of Ignoring Habitat Conservation Duties
BC Hydro is falling short of its obligations to fund habitat conservation under the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program, according to a brief from the B.C. Wildlife Federation and the University of Victoria Environmental Law Centre that asks the provincial auditor general to look into the matter.

Canadians to Pay Trillions for Climate Impacts by 2100, Report Projects
Canada’s economy will lose C$2.8 trillion in climate costs by 2100 if global temperatures rise by 2°C, a figure that doubles to $5.5 trillion should warming increase by the 5°C forecast in “business as usual” scenarios, says a new report.

New Research Shows Higher Methane Emissions from Hydropower
A growing body of research published over the past two decades has found that most reservoirs, including those used for hydropower, aren’t emissions-free. Despite the green reputation of hydropower among policy-makers, some reservoirs emit significant amounts of methane, along with much smaller amounts of nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide.

German Independence from Russian Oil Clears Path to European Embargo
Germany is “very, very close” to declaring independence from Russian oil, vice-chancellor and economy and climate minister Robert Habeck declared last week, after Russian state fossil Gazprom cut off gas deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria over their “failure” to pay for the product in rubles.

Changes in Atlantic Current May Fall Within Natural Variability
One of the latest efforts to understand how global heating is changing the Atlantic Ocean’s surface and deep currents has concluded that natural variability—not forcing due to human influence—may have dominated the complex current system since 1900.

Victoria Councillor Pushes for Free Transit for All
After persuading his colleagues to support free transit for under-19s and low-income seniors, Victoria city councillor Ben Isitt is working hard to push his city to join the 100 or so municipalities around the world that already make public transit free for all riders.

‘Disgraceful’ to Study Resource Sector Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls, Conservative MP Says
A private email shows a Conservative MP from Alberta calling an NDP-initiated study into the relationship between resource development and increased violence against Indigenous women and girls “disgraceful.”

Montem’s Switch From Coal to Renewables Has Alberta Advocates On Alert
South Melbourne, Australia-based Montem Resources has announced plans to pursue a renewable energy project at its Tent Mountain site in Alberta’s Crowsnest Pass instead of its planned coal mine, but some environmental advocates remain suspicious of the company’s plans.

Loss of Honeybee Fertility During B.C. Heat Wave Raises Alarms for Other Species
Humans weren’t the only ones affected by last summer’s record heat wave in Western Canada. The high temperatures also put honeybees and other pollinators at risk, Dr. Alison McAfee of the University of British Columbia writes for The Conversation.

Conservation Groups Demand Further Review of Transmission Line to Stop ‘Orchestrated Trainwreck’
A group of conservation groups in Wisconsin are asking the state natural resources department to stop work on a US$492-million transmission line and revoke its wetlands and waterway permits until a “lawful” environmental review can be conducted.

India Faces Highest Max Temperatures in 122 Years after Relentless Heat Waves
The month of March brought India its highest maximum temperatures in 122 years, April has been scorching, and May is forecast to be even worse for more than a billion people facing ferocious heat waves that have been hammering the subcontinent since early spring.

125 Ontario Groups Target Provincial Election Candidates with Emergency Climate Campaign
Binding, science-based climate targets, respect for Indigenous sovereignty, and investment in a “thriving, regenerative, zero-emissions economy” are the top demands from more than 125 organizations that were scheduled to launch the Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign at the provincial legislature later today.

Canadians Gain ‘Immense Health Benefits’ From Cutting Traffic Air Pollution, Doctors Say
Scientific evidence “unequivocally” indicates a need for decisive action to protect Canadians from the adverse health effects of traffic-related air pollution, says a new report prepared by doctors calling for a shift to electric vehicles and greener, more walkable cities.

Parts of B.C. Face ‘Overlapping Risks’ after Last Year’s Fires, Droughts, Mudslides
Alanna Cowan has watched the Nicola River in British Columbia’s Interior turn the colour of chocolate milk and rise every spring, as warm weather melts snow from the surrounding mountains. It is part of an annual cycle that can cause minor flooding, but Cowan said this year feels more uncertain.

Laws that Make Plastic Producers Pay for Recycling ‘Achieve Nothing’, Experts Warn
United States laws that make plastic manufacturers bear some responsibility for recycling their ocean-clogging products are actually inhibiting progress, say experts, and bear the fingerprints of plastic lobbying groups that are determined to prevent effective restrictions.

‘Stop Burning Our Future’, Say Yukon Students Rallying for Climate Action
“You’re going to die of old age. We’re going to die of climate change,” chanted a group of Whitehorse, Yukon, high school students who gathered on Earth Day to protest the failure of way too many adults to take the climate crisis seriously.

Zest for Tar Sands/Oil Sands Fades as CNOOC Looks to Exit Alberta
A decision just a decade ago to invest heavily in the Alberta tar sands/oil sands has turned out to be a big liability for the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC)—and now the company is looking to sell off its Long Lake and Hangingstone operations before being hit by sanctions related to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Link Basic Income with Just Transition, Green Resilience Project Urges Governments
Economic security through a basic income must be at the centre of the just transition off fossil fuels, and Canadians need the wherewithal to build resilience in their own communities, the Green Resilience Project concluded earlier this month, based on a series of 33 local conversations involving more than 900 participants across the country.

Fertilizer Price Crunch Lead to Emission Cuts in Agriculture
The fertilizer price crunch now plaguing farmers is reminiscent of the 1970s oil shock that led to greater energy efficiency in several industries, and could produce a similar shift in today’s agriculture sector—but that transition will have to be managed carefully to avoid further disrupting the global food supply.

IMF Mum on Demand for $500B in Annual Climate Funding For Developing Countries
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank wrapped up their annual spring meeting in Washington, DC, last week without answering a request for an additional US$500 billion per year in climate finance to the Global South for the next 20 years.

Speed Up Energy Transition, End Fossil Subsidies to Counter Russia’s Invasion, Asset Owners Urge
Countries must accelerate their transition off fossil fuels, not abandon urgent climate action, as they scramble to replace oil and gas supplies from Russia in response to the war in Ukraine, the steering group of the Net-Zero Asset Owners Alliance declared earlier this month.

South Africa President Pledges Climate Adaptation As Floods Leave 448 Dead
After South Africa’s deadliest storm on record killed 448 people and left another 63 missing, the country is vowing to get serious about climate adaptation—a pledge that must address the tragic nexus between climate casualties, dangerously inadequate housing, and a sky-high unemployment rate.

Check the Fine Print, B.C. Homeowner Urges, After Insurer Refuses to Cover Flood Damage
A survivor of British Columbia’s catastrophic floods last year is warning others to check their insurance policies after she said she was offered a payout of only $30,000 when her home, assessed at $414,000, was destroyed.

Virtual Power Plants Can Replace Costly, Polluting Peaker Plants, Report Says
Replacing fossil-powered peaker plants with virtual power plants will mean a cleaner, cheaper, more reliable power supply, according to a recent white paper commissioned by California-based energy application developer Autogrid.

‘Loud and Clear’ Alarm Bells Over Extreme Heat in New Climate Adaptation Report
Thousands of Canada’s most vulnerable citizens risk suffering and death by extreme heat in the next few decades without collectively action to protect them and combat heat, says a new report from the University of Waterloo’s Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation.

Ukraine Receives Two Solar Microgrids for Emergency Support
In the early hours of Russia’s Ukraine invasion, two American non-profits devised a plan to send solar microgrids to a Ukrainian hospital and emergency power equipment to a refugee camp, sparking an energy transition as the devastation of war caused power outages across the country.

Quebec Becomes World’s First Jurisdiction to Ban Oil and Gas Exploration
In what campaigners are calling a world first, Quebec’s National Assembly voted Tuesday afternoon to ban new oil and gas exploration and shut down existing drill sites within three years, even as the promoters behind the failed Énergie Saguenay liquefied natural gas (LNG) project try to revive it as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Global Heating Doubles Odds of Extreme Cyclone Seasons in the Atlantic, Study Finds
Rising sea surface temperatures driven by anthropogenic global heating have doubled the odds of an “extremely active”—and therefore intensely destructive—cyclone season in the tropical Atlantic, says a new study from Climate Analytics.

Careless Russian Operations Around Chornobyl Show Hazards of Nuclear Plants in War Zones
As we learn more about the negligence of Russian generals who ignored warnings that the radioactive forest surrounding Chornobyl was a hazardous staging ground for their assault on Kyiv, environmental historian Kate Brown flags an ill-recognized reality: humanity is ill prepared for what happens when nuclear facilities are held hostage during war.

First Person: ‘No Way to Fool Physics’ on Looming Dangers, Climate Scientist Peter Kalmus Warns
Two days after the latest, alarming science report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, climate scientist Peter Kalmus and three colleagues were arrested for locking themselves to the entrance to the JPMorgan Chase building in downtown Los Angeles. In a post for The Guardian, Kalmus traces how the slow pace of climate action got him out of the lab and into the streets, and why he feels morally compelled to raise the alarm.

No Need for New Export Terminals to Move U.S. Gas to Europe, New Analysis Shows
There’s no need for new export terminals in the United States to help Europe end its dependence on natural gas from Russia—the U.S. fossil industry’s spin notwithstanding, according to a new analysis by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

EU LNG Imports Produce Fewer Emissions than Russia’s Piped Gas
The European Union’s fuel supply options carry different implications for the climate, according to a life cycle assessment released while the continent is rethinking energy policy from between the rock of Russia’s war on Ukraine and the hard place of a looming energy supply crisis.

Halton Hills Declares Lessons Learned from Net-Zero-by-2030 Plan
Keeping the community onboard and elected councillors informed and involved were two of the most important steps in making Halton Hills, Ontario the first Canadian community to adopt a 2030 net-zero strategy, according to two of the program’s lead developers.

Alberta Caribou Recovery Plan Delays Tough Decisions by a Decade
The Alberta government has released recovery plans for two herds of threatened caribou in the province’s north that it says will bring the amount of usable habitat on their ranges up to the level required by a deal signed with Ottawa, The Canadian Press reports.

Affordable Housing, Cleantech Investment, Carbon Capture Subsidy Headline 2022 Federal Budget
Major new dollars for affordable and energy-efficient housing, a C$15-billion fund to accelerate clean investment, and a controversial tax credit for carbon capture and storage (CCUS) technology are among the big-ticket items in the federal budget tabled in the House of Commons yesterday by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.

UK Energy Plan Boosts Nuclear and Offshore Oil, Ignores Cheapest Paths to Cutting Carbon
Plans to build a up to eight giant new nuclear reactors plus a raft of small modular reactors as part of the new energy strategy announced yesterday by the British government were met with outrage by environmentalists and scientists.

‘Master Class in War Profiteering’ as Big Oil Pads Pockets on Russia Invasion: Report
Fossil fuel companies are using stock buybacks to profit from Russia’s war on Ukraine—at the expense of consumers, workers, and just about everyone else, says a new report released by advocacy groups just as the United States holds hearings to scrutinize oil and gas profits.

‘Terrifying’ IPCC Report Chronicles ‘Fast Track to Climate Disaster’, Shows Narrowed Path to 1.5°C
With the options for holding global warming to 1.5°C quickly closing, countries must immediately phase down fossil fuel production, embrace low-carbon technologies that are already practical and affordable, mobilize citizens around the benefits of decarbonization, and increase low-carbon financing three- to six-fold, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes in a 2,913-page report released yesterday.

SPECIAL REPORT: IPCC’s ‘Litany of Broken Promises’ Warns of ‘Enormous, Growing Emissions Gap’
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s latest report on climate change mitigation warns of an “enormous, growing emissions gap,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said yesterday, adding up to a “file of shame” the puts humanity on track toward an unliveable world.

Pathways to 1.5°C Still Possible, But Only with Steep GHG Cuts, IPCC Concludes
The IPCC’s message on mitigation offers encouragement but leaves no room for any possible complacency: the evidence shows that humanity could contain global warming to no more than 1.5°C above the long-term average for most of human history, but only with rapid, deep reductions in the greenhouse gas emissions driving the climate emergency.

RETHINKING DEMAND: Tackling Consumption Can Deliver 40-70% Cut in End Use Emissions
For the first time in the UN agency’s 34-year history, yesterday’s massive report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) introduces the language of “demand-side” action to the field of climate mitigation, with potential to reduce emissions by 40 to 70% in the places where people live, work, learn, and play.

LAND USE: Policies Must Break Down Silos, Listen to ‘Multiple Users’ to Meet Climate Targets
Land management for forestry and agriculture can support global climate targets if it is backed by strong domestic and international policies, but will need to consider a “wide range of landowners” and “billions of consumers in diverse contexts,” the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concludes in yesterday’s report on climate change mitigation.

Climate Action Depends on Cooperation between Developed, Developing Countries, IPCC Finds
International cooperation on climate action has grown since the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to yield modest progress, says the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), but stronger collaborations are needed to overcome barriers in countries with limited capacity.

Carbon Sequestration on Indigenous, Local Lands Makes 2030 Climate Targets Possible, Report Finds
Lands held by Indigenous peoples and other local communities (IPLCs) sequester emissions equivalent to about 30% of the 2030 carbon reduction targets in four countries that are the focus of a new study by the Forest Declaration Platform.

Biden Asks Congress for Ambitious $11 Billion in International Climate Aid
With midterm elections looming, the success of U.S. President Joe Biden’s push for Congress to approve $45 billion in climate funding in the White House budget is expected to set the tone for future domestic and international climate policy.

Biden Deploys Defense Production Act to Boost EV Batteries, ‘Free U.S. from Fossil Dependence’
U.S. President Joe Biden brandished one of the biggest weapons in his economic arsenal Thursday in hopes of turning the United States into a leading producer of electric-vehicle batteries and the minerals used to make them.

Easier Ride for Fossils, But $9.1B in Climate Funding as Ottawa Releases 2030 Plan
The fossil and transportation sectors get a relatively free ride and electricity producers do the most to decarbonize in the much-anticipated 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan released yesterday by Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault.

India’s 2070 Net-Zero Goal is Fit to the Challenges it Faces, Experts Say
Experts say renewables will be a critical component of India’s climate plan—which rightfully sets its net-zero deadline two decades later than wealthier high-emitters like the United States and Europe—as the country balances urgent climate adaptation alongside pressing support for food security.

Michigan Utility Takes ‘Critical Step’ to Expand Low-Income Energy Efficiency Programs
An agreement by a Michigan public utility to expand its low-income efficiency programs and study how the energy burden of vulnerable households can be reduced is being hailed by environmental justice advocates as a crucial move towards fighting energy inequality.

Scientists Alarmed as East Antarctic Ice Shelf Collapses
New-York-City-sized ice shelf has collapsed in East Antarctica, much to the alarm of scientists who thought the region was substantially protected from the impacts of climate change, unlike the more vulnerable western reaches of the continent.

Op Ed Charts Private Sector Role in Financing Climate Resilience
Weeks away from Canada’s first federal budget announcement following a natural disaster-ridden year, governments and private investors will need to collaborate to fund climate adaptation and prevention at the municipal level, a Globe and Mail op ed asserts.

Shift to Energy Efficiency Could Pressure Putin, Says Conservation Pioneer Lovins
Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine is good reason to “crank with wartime urgency” the mass insulation of buildings and deployment of renewables, energy conservation pioneer Amory Lovins declares in an interview with the Guardian.

Saudi Researchers Use Solar to Capture Water Vapour, Grow Crops in Desert Heat
Using a combination of solar panels and a hydrogel that sucks water vapour out of the air, a test project run by environmental engineers in Saudi Arabia successfully grew a crop of water spinach last summer using only the water generated by a novel green energy system, known as WEC2P.

Big Banks, Insurers Fail to Back Net-Zero Promises with Oil and Gas Restrictions
Although many of the world’s biggest financial institutions have been vocal about their climate commitments, fewer than half of them have introduced policies to restrict new oil and gas investments or phase out existing ones, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis released earlier this week by Reclaim Finance and more than a dozen advocacy groups.

Bay du Nord Won’t Help Europe, Guilbeault Says, as NDP Questions Offshore Oil Project
The controversial Bay du Nord exploration project off the coast of Newfoundland is running into new headwinds in Ottawa, with Environment and Climate Minister Steven Guilbeault busting the myth that new oil and gas wells can help Europe free itself from Russian supplies and the NDP questioning how any new fossil project can align with the government’s climate promises.