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LATEST NEWS ON THIS TOPIC

House of Commons Motion, Senate Bill Urge New Climate Rules for Financial Institutions
A motion tabled earlier this month in the House of Commons is the latest effort to address the fossil fuel investments and climate risk exposure of Canadian banks and other financial institutions—including the world’s biggest fossil fuel financier in 2022.

Clean Energy to Add 700,000 New Jobs by 2050, with Alberta in the Lead
With a coordinated, nation-wide net-zero strategy, Canada would see clean energy jobs grow 7% each year, adding 700,000 jobs to the sector by 2050 and creating a “pan-Canadian opportunity” for workers across provinces and industries.

13 Canadian Fossils Linked to Massive Losses in Western Wildfires
Thirteen oil and gas companies operating or based in Canada, including five of the six that make up the Pathways Alliance oil sands lobby group, are on the list of 88 big carbon polluters now being called out for a major share of the forested lands lost to wildfires in North America between 1986 and 2021, The Energy Mix has learned.

Supreme Court Decision Undercuts U.S. Clean Water Act
The United States Supreme Court has curtailed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s authority to protect wetlands from pollution, a ruling that some experts and justices say goes too far by positioning the court as “the national decision-maker on environmental policy.”

UK Traffic Calming Strategy Produces Solid Results, Manufactured Anxiety
A simple strategy to reduce traffic and pollution in many of the United Kingdom’s most congested neighbourhoods has become a divisive force in the country, producing measurable local results but drawing vitriolic criticism from some news outlets.

Community Wind Farm Earns Support, Generates Income in German Village
A small village in Germany is generating income for all residents and a second cash crop for farmers with a community wind farm that dates back to 1999, recently boosted its capacity from four turbines to eight, and now produces about 50 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, enough to power about 16,000 homes.

Storms, Sea Level Rise Intensify Conflicts Over Public Beach Access
A conflict between access to public space and a push for private development in Puerto Rico is being intensified by climate change, prompting residents and environmentalists to rally for a beachfront area threatened by fierce storms and rising seas.

Ontario Overrules Cities to Push Gas Plant Expansions
Ontario is pushing ahead with contracts to increase natural gas use and climate pollution in cities that have already declared their opposition to gas plant expansions, despite independent research showing how the province could clear its looming electricity shortfall with renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Embrace Suburbs, Exurbs in Climate Planning, Researchers Urge Cities
Extending regional planning to suburbs and exurbs is key to catapulting cities toward their climate goals, even as funding and capacity limits make it harder to implement climate pledges, two Brookings Institution researchers say in a recent blog post.

Germany’s Flat-Rate Fare Needs Comfortable, On-Time Transit to Succeed
Germany’s recently-launched €49 (C$71.50) Deutschland Ticket—which covers monthly travel on all regional rail, metro, tram, and bus networks—is showing promise, but experts say its long-term success hinges on reliability and comfort improvements, essential for enticing car drivers to take public transport.

New U.S. Power Plant Rules Exclude ‘Vast Majority’ of Gas Plants
The Biden administration’s long-awaited plan to regulate emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants covers only 147 of 3,400 such facilities in the United States and relies heavily on costly technologies like carbon capture and hydrogen, critics say.

Cities Need Fast, Frequent Service to Halt Transit ‘Death Spiral’
Beyond electrifying fleets, lowering fares, or fighting crime, experts say delivering reliable, timely service will be key to saving public transportation in the United States, where rising labour costs, inflation, and stagnated revenue from low ridership have led to multi-billion-dollar shortfalls.

Stop Undervaluing ‘Small Mode Transport’, Expert Urges City Planners
Small mode transport—cycling, walking, using a wheelchair, and riding e-bikes—is “undercounted and undervalued”, even though a kilometre walked or biked can eliminate five to 10 kilometres covered by car, a transport policy expert says.

Canada Lags on Nature-Based Flood Solutions, Report Finds
Despite ample evidence that nature-based solutions to flooding are cheaper and more effective than trying to contain water behind dikes and artificial channels, Canada continues to prioritize a concrete-centric approach, a recent report concludes.

Massive New Grid Corridor Could Connect Offshore Wind to Nova Scotia, New England
A new offshore power transmission corridor could eventually connect wind turbines off the Nova Scotia coast and in the Gulf of Maine to power grids and green hydrogen facilities in the Maritimes and New England, under a preliminary scenario published last week by a seven-member business coalition.

Postcard Campaign Pushes Canadian MPs for Strong Oil and Gas Emissions Cap
With Canada in the process of drafting crucial regulations to curb the oil and gas sector’s greenhouse gas emissions, climate advocates are enlisting Canadians in a postcard-writing campaign to remind Members of Parliament that the interests of all people in Canada must take precedence over corporate bottom lines and intensive industry lobbying.

Canada’s Emissions Accounting Obscures Climate Costs of Logging, Reports Warn
Leading environmental organizations and a government watchdog say Canada’s emissions accounting methods inaccurately portray the forestry industry’s emissions as net-negative and gloss over the climate impact of industrial logging, which represents more than one-tenth of Canada’s total annual emissions.

95% LOWER EMISSIONS: Sweden’s Shift to Heat Pumps Holds Lessons for Canada
Sweden’s early shift from fossil-fueled heating to electric heat pumps suggests a carrot-and-stick approach of incentives and regulation could help Canadians achieve the lowered costs and 95% drop in building heating emissions that Swedes have enjoyed since the 1990s.

Google Plans 500-MW ‘Synthetic’ Community Solar Project
Tech giant Google is joining forces with one of North America’s largest clean energy companies to build a 500-megawatt solar portfolio in 80 community- sized chunks, with 10% of the resulting revenue flowing to at least 25,000 “high-energy-burden” households.

MPs, Scientists Raise Alarm Over Climate Hype for Small Modular Reactors
Several Members of Parliament and activists are warning the Canadian government that its support for nuclear energy projects could prove costly and ineffective—even as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau maintains that nuclear is “on the table” for achieving the country’s climate goals.

Niger Delta Suffers as Shell Sells Polluting Assets to Private Firms
Big Oil companies like Shell are selling off their polluting assets to private firms with less accountability and oversight, a trend that is worsening living conditions near fossil fuel infrastructure in one of Africa’s largest oil producing regions.

Berlin Rejects 2030 Carbon-Neutral Target, Gains €5B Transition Fund
Residents of Berlin, Germany rejected a referendum aimed at achieving carbon neutrality 15 years earlier than planned. But the failed vote in late March brought silver linings, including a windfall €5-billion fund for climate action and valuable lessons for other cities.

Vancouver Tops Municipal Climate Contest, Steals Montreal’s Public Transit Crown
Vancouver topped the charts in four categories of a citizen-led climate and sustainability contest that assessed 57 Canadian cities on a range of indicators like public transit, urban green space, air quality, and walkability.

Judge Dismisses Youth Court Challenge, Scorches Ontario Climate Plan
Applicants in a landmark youth-led climate lawsuit against the Doug Ford government are vowing to appeal their loss this week, buoyed by the judge’s rebuke of Ontario’s emissions targets and its cynical bid to skirt litigation by declaring its own climate plan to have no status in law.

Harris Unveils ‘Largest Community Solar Project in U.S. History’
The largest community solar effort in United States history—expected to generate 1.2 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power 140,000 homes and businesses—was made possible by incentives from the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden administration says.

New U.S. Auto Emissions Rule Pushes EVs, Cuts 17 Billion Barrels of Oil Demand
The Biden administration is proposing stiff new tailpipe emission limits that could eliminate 17 billion barrels of U.S. oil demand over three decades by requiring up to two-thirds of new vehicles sold to be electric by 2032.

Surging Demand for Critical Minerals Drives Fears of Unjust Transition
Demand for crucial energy transition materials is expected to increase four to six times from current levels by 2050, making it urgent to solve the social and environmental problems of mining, say advocates for a clean and just energy transition.

Investigative Reports Find Carbon Credit Market Rife with Greenwash
“C” is for carbon credit greenwash could be the summary headline for a series of recent investigative reports from Climate Home News that reveal alarming evidence of the carbon credit market’s susceptibility to manipulation, deception, and profiteering.

Unsold Gasoline Cars Plunge in Value as Swiss Banker Predicts Global Auto ‘Glut’, Price War
China may be coaxed into delaying an emissions rule that was set to leave auto dealerships with a glut of worthless, non-compliant gasoline cars, but an electric vehicle expert says the crisis is a sign that the global auto industry must accelerate EV production.

Orderly Climate Transition Needs Fossil Fuel Bans, Phaseouts, Authors Say
An orderly yet wide-ranging energy transition in the United States will require restrictive supply-side polices to “actively wind down fossil fuel extraction,” say the co-authors of a new report that urges policy-makers to treat carbon fuels the way they did lead paint and asbestos—either ban them outright or phase them out.

‘Historic’ UN Resolution Refers Climate to International Court of Justice
The countries of the United Nations led by the island state of Vanuatu adopted by consensus what they called a historic resolution last Wednesday calling for the UN’s highest court to strengthen countries’ obligations to curb warming and protect communities from climate disaster.

BREAKING: Federal Budget Pours Tens of Billions Into Clean Economy
An array of new tax credits for clean energy development and a pledge to secure Canada’s place in a global green economy are at the centre of this year’s federal budget, released Tuesday afternoon by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, with an estimated $80 billion in multi-year funding for mostly clean energy technologies.

New Federal Procurement Rule Requires Biggest Bidders to Report Net-Zero Plans
Beginning next week, a new federal procurement standard will make it harder for large companies to bid on government contracts without reporting on their emission reduction plans. In some cases, if they don’t agree to the disclosure, they’ll have no chance of winning the business.

Somali Canadians Aid Drought-Stricken Homeland as 43,000 Reported Dead
With five million Somalians left acutely food insecure after five consecutive failed rainy seasons, the Somali diaspora in Canada is trying to raise awareness of their homeland’s plight—and pointing to a financial policy that has made it costlier to send aid to their loved ones.

B.C.’s New Energy Framework a ‘Smokescreen,’ Critic Warns
British Columbia’s new energy framework is being hailed as a positive step towards capping oil and gas emissions in the province, but one critic is calling it a “political smokescreen,” coming hours after the approval of a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.

Biden’s Ottawa Visit Highlights EVs, Clean Grid, Critical Minerals
Canada and the United States will work together to develop critical mineral supply chains, coordinate efforts on net-zero grid development and electric vehicle charging networks, advance long-duration energy storage, measure and monitor methane and carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, and promote trade in products like green steel and aluminium in the wake of U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to Ottawa March 23-24.

Toronto Urban Park Study Could Delay Ontario Greenbelt Plan
The Canadian government is launching a study of Rouge National Urban Park, a move that could give Ottawa the authority to block Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s plans to develop housing on once-protected areas of forests, wetlands, and farmlands in the province’s Greenbelt.

Cyclone Freddy Leaves Over 500 Dead on Africa’s Southeast Coast
Cyclone Freddy, the most energy-intense tropical cyclone ever recorded, finally dissipated last week, but not before leaving more than 500 people dead, hundreds of thousands displaced, and millions facing heightened food insecurity on Africa’s southeast coast.

Devastating Impacts, Affordable Climate Solutions Drive IPCC’s Urgent Call for Action
A stark choice between climate stability and global devastation is the constant drumbeat from a landmark report released today by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). “The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts now and for thousands of years,” the UN agency states in its Sixth Assessment Report.

Swift Action, Inclusive Resilience Vital in Face of Overlapping Climate Hazards
With more than 40% of the world’s population already exposed to the worst effects of global heating and “every region in the world” facing increased climate hazards by 2040, scientists warn that better, faster adaptation—and a lot more funding for it—is critical for a liveable future on Earth, especially for the most vulnerable.

Historic Deal Reopens B.C. Indigenous Territory to Fracking, Promises Land Restoration
A landmark agreement seeks to rectify decades of environmental destruction sanctioned by British Columbia policy-makers on Indigenous land, but also reopens one of Canada’s most prolific shale formations to the fossil industry, inviting them back to resume drilling a land once left “decimated” by extraction.

Willow Oil Project in Alaska Faces Legal Challenges, Economic Doubts
Lauded by its backers as a boon for the Alaskan economy and a critical path to energy independence, the recently approved Willow oil project is now facing two lawsuits, along with tough questions about just how much Alaskans or America as a whole will gain from the project.

Keystone Pipeline Safety Worries Lawmakers after TC Energy Ordered to Reduce Operating Pressure
State politicians in Kansas worried last week that the southern part of their state is vulnerable to oil spills from the Keystone pipeline, just days after a U.S. regulator ordered TC Energy to lower the operating pressure across the entire Keystone system.

Biden Approves $8B Oil Extraction Plan in Ecologically Sensitive Alaska
Bailing on an election promise to never again allow drilling on federal lands, United States President Joe Biden has approved a US$8-billion plan to extract 600 million barrels of oil from an ecologically sensitive region in Alaska.

Canadians Want Strong Emissions Cap Regulations, Not More Missed Targets
As the federal government consults about its upcoming legislation capping carbon emissions in the oil and gas sector, no doubt hearing often from industry lobbyists, Canadians are growing more cynical about the government’s ability to bring this powerful industry into line.

First Nation Scorches Imperial Oil, Alberta Regulator Over Toxic Leak
Informed nine months after the fact that its hunting territories may have been poisoned by a leaking oil sands tailings pond, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is accusing the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) and ExxonMobil subsidiary Imperial Oil of environmental racism, as experts urge Ottawa to close regulatory holes that fossil companies can exploit.

No Climate Risk Targets for Banks, New Guides for Green Finance as 2 Federal Agencies Issue New Rules
Bankers will have to disclose but not take action on their exposure to financial risk, and the definition of “transitional” investments leading to a net-zero economy might include new spending on carbon capture and “blue” hydrogen projects, under two new reports from federal agencies over the last several days.

Canada Falls Behind on Reporting Scope 3 Emissions
Making it mandatory for Canadian companies to report their largest and most material Scope 3 emissions categories will set them up for success in the global energy transition, the Canadian Climate Institute (CCI) concludes in a blog post published last month,.

Trailblazing Hydrogen Plant Could ‘Cannibalize’ Green Power from Nova Scotia Grid
Nova Scotia has approved plans for what could be North America’s first commercial-scale green hydrogen facility, amid lingering concerns that powering the plant could cannibalize renewable energy that’s vital to meeting the province’s climate goals.

Ohio Train Derailment, Toxic Chemical Spill Renews Fears Over Canada-U.S. Rail Safety
Locals remain desperate for answers almost a month after a train laden with harmful petrochemicals derailed in a small Ohio town, as government agencies refuse to test for some dangerous toxins, the railroad company shells out paltry restitution, and politicians steal the moment for publicity.

Mounting Losses, Legal Risk Prompt Insurers to Abandon Fossil Fuels
It took Munich Re almost 50 years since, but the world’s largest reinsurance company is taking steps to detach itself not just from coal, oil, and gas. The company announced in October that it will no longer insure new oil and gas projects as of April, 2023.

U.S. Can Shift to EV’s Without Widespread, Destructive Mining, Report Finds
A new report chalks out pathways for the United States to heavily reduce the amount of mined lithium it needs to decarbonize transportation and sidestep “irreversible harms” to water, air, and animal habitats—especially near Indigenous lands.

AI Predicts World Over 1.5°C Limit by 2030, Undercuts Climate Progress Reports
Recent studies clash on whether clean technologies and emission cuts can keep the world safely below 1.5°C warming, highlighting how projected climate policy outcomes are shaped by the factors that researchers choose to focus on—and raising questions about the utility of the Paris agreement target.

BP Predicts Faster Oil and Gas Decline as Clean Energy Spending Hits $1.1T in 2022
Oil and gas production will fall faster than previously expected, renewable energy will grow more rapidly, and global carbon dioxide emissions will drop as a result, according to a new analysis released yesterday by colossal fossil BP.

Canada Needs Oil and Gas Emissions Cap to Hit 2030 Goal: NZAB
An independent federal advisory panel has declared Canada “unlikely to attain its 2030 emission target” without an oil and gas emissions cap, just days after senior oil sands executives insisted they can’t invest any faster in decarbonization.

World Bank Climate Reforms Too ‘Timid and Slow,’ Critics Warn
Pressure from several countries has pushed the World Bank to put the climate crisis in sharper focus and reshuffle its leadership just weeks after drafting an “evolution roadmap” to reform operations. But critics say its proposals are “mostly a disappointing mix of navel gazing and finger pointing,” with urgently due financing flowing far too slowly.

New UK Coal Mine Faces Two Legal Challenges
Two legal challenges against the Woodhouse Colliery coal mine in the North West England county Cumbria may determine the country’s future reputation as a climate leader, after a new analysis suggested the mine would release 17,500 tonnes of methane per year.

Gas Stoves Enter U.S. Climate Culture War, Become ‘Bellwether’ for Industry
The protracted culture war over environmental policy in the United States was rekindled earlier this month by a controversy over gas stoves, with Republicans declaring that their beloved cooking appliances would have to be pried from their “cold dead hands”—though nobody was coming for them.

Exxon Had the Right Global Warming Numbers Through Decades of Denial: Study
A first-ever systematic assessment of an oil and gas company’s climate projections shows that Exxon scientists accurately predicted how fossil fuels would affect global temperatures, despite decades of PR activity meant to sow doubt and climate denial.

Hydrogen Patents Reveal Shift Toward Cleaner Technologies
Innovators motivated by climate change have been shifting hydrogen technology toward low-emission solutions, boosting the potential for green hydrogen to replace fossil fuels in industries like long-haul transport, where few clean alternatives exist.

Traffic and Transit, U.S. Gas Bans, Rooftop Windmills, Radioactive Wastewater, and a March 23 Day of Action on Banking and Oil
The U.S. set out to widen more highways, even though traffic planners know it never reduces congestion. Parking lots were falling out of favour, major U.S. subway systems were falling apart, Toronto’s transit plan was falling far short, Toronto’s parking authority fell for the idea of an EV charging network, and urban transit advocates wanted a federal strategy for zero-emission transit, intercity coaches, and rail.

2023 Will be a Watershed Year for Climate Litigation
With America’s first youth-led climate lawsuit scheduled to begin in a Montana court this June, a class action case against Australia by Torres Strait islanders, and numerous lawsuits against corporate climate culprits, climate change is very much on the docket for 2023.

U.S. Clean Grid Transition Needs More Transmission Lines, Analysts Say
The United States is racing towards a carbon-free grid, but with economic and regulatory hurdles blocking transmission infrastructure, the shift off fossil-fueled power may be too slow to avert the worst effects of climate change.

Majority Black Community Fights LNG Export Terminal in Its Back Yard
Just as a majority Black community in Florida’s Gulf County has begun to envision a “safe, vibrant, and healthy” comeback from the polluted shadow of heavy industry, local officials risk thwarting those ambitions by saying yes to a waterfront gas terminal.

Make Oil and Gas Emissions Cap Fit for 1.5°, MPs Urge Ottawa
The federal government should introduce an oil and gas emissions cap that aligns with a 1.5°C limit on average global warming and creates incentives for innovation without favouring any specific technology, the Commons Natural Resources Committee concludes in a report issued last week.

EU Boosts Industrial Emissions Target from 43 to 62% by 2030
European Union governments and lawmakers reached a deal Sunday on key elements of the 27-nation bloc’s green deal, reforming the EU’s trading system for greenhouse gas emissions and creating a new hardship fund for those hardest-hit by measures to curb climate change.

‘Methane Menace’ Produces Massive Emissions in Pennsylvania Leak
A 13-day leak from a 4.1-centimetre vent on a fossil gas storage well in rural Pennsylvania dumped more than 28.3 million cubic metres of methane into the atmosphere last month, enough to erase the emission reductions from half of the electric cars sold in the United States last year.

Falling Oil Demand Means Canadian Fossils Must Decarbonize: Pembina
A peak in global oil demand before 2030, with steady declines afterwards, will make it essential for federal and provincial governments to press the fossil industry for faster decarbonization, the Pembina Institute concludes in a new analysis.

Biggest Spill in Keystone’s History Dumps Oil into Kansas Creek
A ruptured pipe dumped enough oil late last week into a northeastern Kansas creek to nearly fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool, becoming the largest onshore crude pipeline spill in nine years and surpassing all the previous ones on the same pipeline system combined, according to U.S. government data.

Faster Push for Critical Minerals Threatens Environment, Indigenous Rights
A mining watchdog says calls for less robust assessments and quicker permitting in Canada’s new critical minerals strategy will undo protections for environmental and Indigenous rights, which are being threatened across the globe in the rush for critical minerals.

Renewables Advocate Wins Hotly Contested Seat on Louisiana Regulatory Panel
Newcomer Davante Lewis, a Democrat backed by an environmental political action committee, easily won Saturday’s runoff for a seat on Louisiana’s Public Service Commission, an obscure regulatory body that has received national attention from media, celebrities, climate activists, and major public utility companies.

Guterres Decries ‘Orgy of Destruction’ as COP 15 Nature Summit Opens in Montreal
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged global consensus on conserving 30% of Earth’s land and waters by 2030 as the United Nations biodiversity conference, COP 15, opened in Montreal, presenting Canada as nature’s champion—despite its sizeable oil and gas investments.

Boost Farm Bill Funds for Climate Solutions, U.S. Advocates Urge Lawmakers
Farmers in the United States need more tools and support to be part of the climate solution, say advocates, urging lawmakers gearing up to draft the new 2023 Farm Bill to increase funding for a rural renewables and energy efficiency.

Shooting Attack on North Carolina Grid Leaves Thousands Without Power
A weekend shooting attack on two electric substations in Moore County, North Carolina, is raising questions about grid security in the United States, after 40,000 people—including seniors and people in need of medical care—lost power amid freezing winter temperatures.

Reject Fossil Development, Honour Climate Commitments, B.C. Groups Urge Eby
As liquefied natural gas (LNG) interests press for political support, British Columbia Premier David Eby must double down on his acknowledgement that any further fossil buildout will sink the province’s climate goals, the president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs says, in an op ed co-published with other leading climate advocates.

Ontario New Housing Act Slammed for Promoting Sprawl, Weakening Protections
As Ontario’s newly-minted More Homes Built Faster Act is decried by Indigenous leaders, municipalities, farmers, and health experts alike, elected officials are questioning the “suspicious” link between developer titans buying parcels of protected Greenbelt land and Premier Doug Ford’s push to turn them into housing subdivisions.

Community Energy Fund, 100% Renewable Utility Deal Boost U.S. Energy Transition
The United States clean energy transition received two boosts this month from the Biden administration—a US$550 million cash infusion for community-based clean energy initiatives, and a first-ever 100% carbon-free electricity agreement with a utility.

‘Incredibly Dangerous’: U.S. Coal Plants Ignore Disposal Rules for Toxic Coal Ash
More than nine out of 10 coal ash impoundments in the United States are contaminating groundwater in violation of federal rules, according to environmental groups’ comprehensive analysis of the latest industry-reported data.

Cities Take a Lead in Canada’s $1.6B Climate Adaptation Strategy
Cities are at the centre of Canada’s five-year, C$1.6-billion climate adaptation and resilience strategy, with Ottawa looking to local governments to deliver supports to Canadians increasingly facing the threat of wildfires, heat waves, and catastrophic storms and flooding.

Alberta Municipalities Push Back on Royalty Breaks for Oil Well Cleanups
Municipal politicians in Alberta are troubled by a proposed provincial program that would give oil and gas companies public dollars to clean up abandoned wells, saying the companies owe outstanding taxes and need to clean up after themselves anyway.

New Screening Tool Flags 27,000 U.S. Communities for Climate Investment
A new screening tool that prioritizes 27,000 disadvantaged U.S. communities for billions of dollars in federal climate and energy investments is being criticized for leaving out racial makeup—one of the strongest predictors of environmental burden—as a criterion.

Back Low-Income Energy Savings, Efficiency Canada Urges Ottawa [Sign-On]
Provincial energy efficiency programs and national energy savings rebounded after the COVID-19 pandemic, but energy savings for low-income households still need a lot more attention, Efficiency Canada concludes in the latest edition of its annual Provincial Energy Efficiency Scorecard.

GTHA Emissions Rising to Pre-Pandemic Levels, Putting Reduction Targets at Risk
Buildings, transportation, and industry are all contributing to a rise in emissions in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area (GTHA) that is moving the region farther from meeting its emission reduction targets, The Atmospheric Fund warns in a new report.

BREAKING: EU Proposes Immediate Loss and Damage Fund, Emissions Peak Before 2025
A dramatic new offer from the plenary floor at COP 27, in which rich countries would immediately set up a loss and damage fund in exchange for a pledge to peak greenhouse gas emissions before 2025 and phase down oil and gas as well as coal, changed the tone and may have salvaged the outcome of climate negotiations that seemed hopelessly deadlocked just hours before.

Canada, Other Countries Urged to End Fossil Financing, Shift $28B Per Year to Clean Energy
A COP 27 event marked the Glasgow Statement’s one-year anniversary by urging Germany, Italy, Canada, and the United States to live up to climate promises that could shift US$28 billion per year from fossil fuels to clean energy.

Climate Leaders Urge Paris-Style Agreement for Biodiversity
The 2015 Paris agreement legally bound the world to keep global warming “well below” 2.0°C. Now its architects say nature needs a similar treaty, arguing that without urgent action to protect ecosystems, there will be no hope of accomplishing the Paris mission.

Brazil Will Crack Down on Illegal Logging, Finance Forest Protection, Lula Tells COP 27
Six weeks before taking power, Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday told cheering crowds at the UN climate conference, COP 27, that he would crack down on illegal deforestation in the Amazon, revive relationships with countries that finance forest protection efforts, and push to host an upcoming world climate summit in the rainforest.

Oil Effluent Endangers Red Sea ‘Super Coral’ that Could Protect Endangered Reefs
For decades, 40,000 litres per day of toxic effluent have been knowingly released from an oil terminal on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, endangering a super-hardy coral species that may contain the key to climate-proofing the rest of the world’s coral.

Canada Risks $100B in Stranded Assets from Fossil Expansion, Report Finds
Canada’s economy faces a stranded asset risk of at least C$100 billion when the fossil fuel era comes to an end, says a new report, with further losses as the global energy transition outpaces the country’s climate policy and clean energy investments.

15 Big Agribusinesses Create Nearly as Much Methane as EU: Report
Fifteen of the world’s top food-producing companies have a methane footprint equal to 80% of the European Union’s emissions of the super-potent greenhouse gas, says a new report by the Changing Markets Foundation and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

Put Energy Sovereignty, Gender Justice Ahead of ‘False Solutions’, Community Panel Urges
The COP 27 climate summit has been dominated by “false solutions” that ignore the needs of underrepresented people and shun vital principles like energy sovereignty, gender justice, and land rights, according to a panel of community experts on the front lines of the climate crisis.

Biden Announces New Procurement Rules to Slash Federal Emissions
The Biden administration has unveiled proposed rules to hold government contractors accountable for greenhouse gases, and oil and gas companies for methane, as it pushes to slash federal emissions and assure other countries that the United States can deliver on its climate promises.

Unlock Municipal Green Finance in Global South, C-40 Cities Urges
Mainstreaming climate action into city financial systems, applying a climate budget to all decisions, and encouraging private sector investment in climate adaptation are strategies that all municipalities, regardless of their situation, can implement to unlock green financing, says C-40 Cities.

‘Toothless’ Methane Pledge Draws Fire at COP 27
Major energy exporting and importing countries made an ostensibly worthy pledge at the COP 27 climate summit to slash emissions from fossil fuels—but it turns out to be a toothless “paper tiger,” say climate watchdogs, with no legally binding effects and nothing new added to past commitments.

Climate Action Gains, ‘Red Wave’ Fizzles in U.S. Midterm Elections
With the partisan tilt of the next U.S. Congress still uncertain nearly a week after midterm elections last Tuesday, a few things are clear: there was no “red wave” propelling Trump-friendly candidates into office, a strong youth vote was a decisive factor in the election result, and climate action was a winning issue for campaigns in several key U.S. states.

Include 2 Billion ‘Invisible’ Workers in Just Transition, Lawyer Urges
An invisible work force of people in the informal economy should receive the same support as fossil energy workers during a just transition to a green economy, says a lawyer with expertise in international environmental, trade and labour law and agreements.

‘Dash for Gas’ Takes Off at COP 27
With COP 27 host Egypt and 16 other natural gas-exporting governments pledging to plug the fossil energy source as “the perfect solution” to climate change and energy security, critics warned of a “dash for gas” in Africa—a prophecy taking shape this week in Sharm el-Sheikh, where some African countries said exploiting fossil reserves will help lift people out of poverty.

Competition Bureau to Probe Industry Greenwashing of ‘Clean’, ‘Natural’ Gas
Competition Bureau Canada has opened an investigation into allegations that the Canadian Gas Association is greenwashing fossil methane as clean, following a C$10-million complaint filed in September by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE).

‘Disappointing’ National Climate Plans Insufficient to Avert Crisis
At last year’s United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, 193 governments promised to strengthen their national climate targets within one year. But only about two dozen of them have delivered on that promise, leaving civil society representatives wary of more empty promises and false solutions at the onset of COP 27.

Africa Loses 34% of GDP at 1.5° Warming, ‘Grim’ New Report Concludes
Countries across Africa could lose 14% of their per capita GDP to climate change by 2050 and 34% by 2100, even if average global warming is held to 1.5°C, according to a report released this morning at this year’s UN climate conference, COP 27, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

COP Process is Busted but Not Irrelevant, Observers Say
This year’s COP 27 climate conference may prove UN negotiations on global heating dead for some. But for others, the annual, marathon negotiating summits are a crucial forum to exert soft power, keep checks on Big Oil, and remind corporate interests that the Amazon is much more than just a business opportunity.

40 Countries to Reveal Methane Action Plans at COP 27
With 40 countries expected to unveil their methane reduction plans at COP 27, global action on the climate-busting greenhouse gas could get a boost after stalling out under industry pressure over the last year, even after more 100 countries signed on to the Global Methane Pledge at COP 26.

Stop Greenwashing, Set Regulated Net-Zero Targets, McKenna Task Force Urges
Climate science and the depth of the climate emergency demand that industries, financial institutions, cities, and regions commit fully to real net-zero targets, end new fossil fuel investment, stop greenwashing their activities, start lobbying for rather than against ambitious government climate policies, and shift from voluntary climate action to regulated, verified emission reductions, according to a UN expert panel chaired by former Canadian environment and climate minister Catherine McKenna.

Petition Delivers 82,622 Signatures Demanding Oil and Gas Emissions Cap
With the COP 27 climate summit in full swing in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Canadian climate hawks were in Ottawa yesterday delivering more than 80,000 petition signatures—82,622, to be exact—calling on the Trudeau government to make good on its promise to impose an emissions cap on the country’s oil and gas industry.

COP 27 a ‘Make or Break Moment’ for Loss and Damage Finance
As COP 27 opens in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, developing countries and climate justice leaders are urging a notoriously reluctant developed world to get serious about financing for loss and damage, with the immediate and long-term well-being of hundreds of millions hanging in the balance.

Past UN Climate Agendas Hint at Priorities for COP 27
A look at past agendas for United Nations climate conferences sheds light on what is given priority at the annual summit and what gets left out, giving some predictive insight into how vulnerable nations’ push for loss and damage negotiations will fare during this year’s meetings in Egypt.

Big Banks Deliver the Dollars for Polluting Amazon Oil Project
In the Putumayo region of the Colombian Amazon, Segundo Meneses’ daily routine took him to the Chufiya river, its banks verdant and waters alive with catfish and piranha. On one morning seven years ago, he noticed a dark film lapping the shore. Where the river turned a bend, it turned to black. It was an oil slick that he says went on to sicken his young family and poison their cows and pigs.

CCUS Mostly Shut Out, Renewables Get Tax Credit in Federal Economic Statement
A pitch for private investment in emission reduction projects, including tax credits for renewable energy, low-carbon heating, and clean hydrogen, is one of the highlights of the fall economic statement released Thursday by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Texas Oilfields Gush Methane Despite Best Available Prevention Tech
Pipelines, compressor stations, and other fossil equipment in Texas and across the United States continue to gush climate-busting methane into the atmosphere, even when companies have installed equipment that’s meant to get the emissions under control.

Canadian Pension Fund Rejects Divestment, Takes Fire for Fossil ‘Entanglements’
The CEO of the pension fund that controls retirement investments for 21 million Canadians has reconfirmed his position that “engagement,” not divestment from fossil fuel companies, is the right way forward during the global energy transition.

Local Green Building Laws at Risk as Ontario Fast-Tracks New Housing Bill [Sign-On]
Municipal climate and energy leaders in Ontario are scrambling to protect energy-efficient building standards that may be at risk in the provincial government’s rush to push through its More Homes Built Faster Act, Bill 23.

Brazil’s Lula Faces Polarized Congress in Drive to Restore Amazon
Brazil’s newly-elected president has vowed to reverse the deforestation of the Amazon that occurred under his predecessor, but a hostile Congress is likely to block his efforts, as are the thousands of Brazilians who say the election was rigged and still others convinced that environmental protections equal lost livelihoods.

Louisiana Wetlands Case Could Open U.S. Fossils to Dozens of Lawsuits
U.S. federal judges have ordered a nine-year-old lawsuit calling on oil and gas companies to pay for damage to Louisiana’s wetlands to be returned to state court for trial, potentially clearing the way for at least 41 similar lawsuits to move forward.

New Ontario Bill Set to Gut Land Conservation, Public Consultation
Those who have the most to lose under the Ontario Ford government’s proposed More Homes Built Faster Act—which, if passed, will effectively gut the province’s land conservation and public consultation policies—include neighborhoods and civil society organizations determined to have a say in how development proceeds, municipalities looking to implement sustainable design initiatives, and especially Ontario’s wetlands, early analysis shows.

Put Agroecology Ahead of ‘Green Grabs’, Think Tank Urges
In the lead-up to the COP 27 climate summit, a food systems think tank is calling for more discussion of “agroecology” and warning that corporations can exploit less well-defined terms to greenwash, while maintaining business-as-usual operations.

Fossil Investment Could ‘Fully Finance’ Renewable Shift to 1.5°C
Redirecting $570 billion per year from planned oil and gas investments could “fully finance” wind and solar expansion to meet a 1.5°C target, showing that oil and gas development must be halted to keep global warming within safe limits, a new report concludes.

Sunak to Restore UK Fracking Ban, Faces Long Climate To-Do List
Incoming British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will restore his country’s ban on oil and gas fracking, Reuters reported yesterday, after his predecessor Liz Truss reversed a moratorium originally set out in the UK Conservative Party’s 2019 election platform.

Coastal GasLink Builders Sued for Millions in Unpaid Work
Coastal GasLink and a former prime contractor with alleged links to organized crime are being sued by four companies, working in partnership with three First Nations communities, for allegedly failing to pay an outstanding C$10 million for services rendered.

Renewable Electricity May Soon Cost U.S. Buyers Next to Nothing
Solar and wind power purchase agreements (PPAs) in the United States could be signed for less than one cent per kilowatt-hour (kWh) thanks to Inflation Reduction Act funding, concludes an analysis by investment banking giant Crédit Suisse.

EXCLUSIVE: Rumoured Keystone Pipeline Sale Could Increase Spill Risk
Analyst chatter about TC Energy considering selling off the controversial Keystone pipeline could raise the risk of a major spill or leak, but still improve the Calgary-based pipeliner’s rating for environmental responsibility, The Energy Mix has learned.

Research Shows Big Knowledge Gaps on Climate Solutions, Nature Loss
The federal government is busy consulting us now, gathering input from Canadians on policy proposals for a just transition to renewables, a carbon emissions cap for the oil and gas sector, a clean electricity grid, and more. But how well informed do Canadians think they are about these potential solutions?

Competition Bureau Probes Climate Greenwashing Claim Against Royal Bank
The federal Competition Bureau’s decision to investigate charges of misleading advertising against the Royal Bank of Canada is a sign that federal regulators are paying closer attention to the climate crisis and its causes, says the environmental law charity that filed the case.

UK Can Shake Gas Dependence, Study Finds, as Truss Greenlights Fracking
As the United Kingdom pursues fracking as a solution to its energy independence, new analysis finds the country’s power sector can reduce its reliance on gas from 40% to 1% by 2030, with a rapid renewables switch bringing £93 billion (C$142 billion) in savings.

Fossils Misuse Antitrust Law to Foil Climate Action, Expert Warns
Immediate policy reform is needed to stop the fossil industry from using anti-competition laws to thwart corporate climate action, says an Oxford University public policy expert who recently had to lawyer-proof his advisory group’s guidance on the climate risks of coal.

EXCLUSIVE: Pension Fund Gambles Retirement Savings on Alberta Oilfield Buy
A deal to sell 38,000 hectares of Alberta oil and gas lands to a company controlled by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) is shining a light on large fossils’ favourite path to decarbonization: rather than shutting down some of their assets, they hand them off to smaller operators that then keep them in production.

$10M Complaint Accuses Canadian Gas Lobby of Greenwashing
A group of Canadian public health professionals and advocates have filed a C$10-million greenwashing complaint against the Canadian Gas Association (CGA) for a recent ad campaign promoting natural gas as a clean, affordable, sustainable energy option.

Study Finds Outsized Corporate Influence on UN Aviation Emissions Talks
The United Nations aviation agency has allowed corporate interests to influence the direction of its climate policy, say environmental groups, pointing to new research that finds nearly one-third of delegates at its environmental committee meetings come from aviation or fossil fuel industries.

Toronto Corporate Landlords Use Cosmetic Upgrades to Raise Rents
Ten years of aggressive “gentrification by upgrading” has left Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood increasingly unaffordable, forcing lower-income tenants to compromise on basic needs like medicine and food to pay soaring rents, finds a recent study.

Critics Slam Ontario Power Generation Clean Energy Credit Deal
Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) latest sale of clean energy credits to Microsoft Corporation raises questions about whether the credits meet the basic criteria for genuine carbon offsets—especially given Ontario’s plan to increase gas plant use and resulting emissions.

PR Firms Throw Weight Behind Fossil Misinformation, Expert Says
Big Oil is spending more money now than ever before on elaborate, deceptive public relations strategies to thwart climate policy, a PR expert told a United States congressional hearing, as freshly released internal emails revealed how fossil executives watered down the language of their climate commitments, mocked activists, and derided Americans in general.

Ontario Climate Plan is Just a ‘Glossy Brochure’, Ontario Lawyer Says
Ontario’s climate plan is just a “communications product” and a “glossy brochure” with no legal force, not anything for which citizens or the courts can hold the Doug Ford government accountable, a provincial lawyer told a judge last week.

UK Must Tackle Energy Efficiency or Risk Larger Crisis: Report
Britain’s new policy of capping home energy bills and subsidizing energy giants fails to address the country’s old, inefficient housing stock, says a new report—with one critic warning such an impractical energy policy could “play into the hands” of Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

South Africa Court Backs Indigenous Communities, Blocks Wild Coast Seismic Testing
A South African court sided with environmental groups and local fishing communities to strike down an oil and gas exploration permit after two UK-based companies—Royal Dutch Shell and Impact Africa—failed to consult with local Indigenous communities.

WHO, 192 Global Health Associations Back Fossil Fuel Phaseout
The World Health Organization and nearly 200 global health associations have endorsed the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FFNPT), calling for an end to new fossil infrastructure and a “fair and equitable” phaseout of existing production.

Solar Saves EU €29B in Summer Gas Costs, Set to Surge in Asia
Solar saved the European Union up to €29 billion in gas imports this past summer, and is poised for “exponential growth” across five of Asia’s biggest economies, according to two separate analyses released last week by the UK-based Ember think tank.

Wisconsin Judge Backs Indigenous Band, Stops Short of Shutting Down Line 5 Pipeline
The Line 5 pipeline has won a stay of execution in Wisconsin, where a federal judge sided with an Indigenous group’s complaint but stopped short of ordering the controversial cross-border energy link shut down entirely.

74% Want More EV’s in Canada as Automakers Face Supply Chain Snags
A new poll concludes that 74% of Canadians want car manufacturers pushed to increase zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) production, even if it harms their profits. But an industry representative warns that regulations targeting Canadian automakers could disrupt the North American auto market.

U.S. Clean Grid Needs Speed, Scale, and Supply, Study Finds
Research and development, manufacturing, and infrastructure investment decisions over the next decade will determine how the United States achieves a 100% clean electricity system by 2035, say the authors of a new report that finds multiple pathways to hit the target.

California Votes $54B for Climate Action, Limits Oil Wells Near Homes
A 90% clean power target by 2035, $54 billion in new spending on clean energy and drought resilience, quicker approvals for power grid upgrades and clean energy projects, and a long-awaited phaseout for oil and gas wells near homes and schools are highlights of a climate package adopted last week by the California state assembly.

Alabama Coal Ash Pond a ‘Disaster Waiting to Happen’ as Flood Risks Rise
Upstream from one of the United States’ most biologically diverse wetlands sits a coal ash pond leaking toxic metals into the groundwater, imperiling ecosystems and threatening drinking water supplies as climate change increases flood risks.

Canadian Deep Sea Miner Seeks Ocean Riches, Island States Lose Big in Bonanza of EV Minerals
As a Canadian deep sea mining company pushes to consummate its 15-year “courtship” of the United Nations agency responsible for overseeing the equitable, ecologically safe extraction of seabed resources, a new investigative report is raising flags about the deal and its impacts.

Deadbeat Fossils Dodge Property Taxes Despite Record Profits, Rural Alberta Suffers
Six months after the Alberta government admitted its efforts to make the Canadian oilpatch pay C$253 million in outstanding taxes had failed, rural communities that depend on the revenue have been forced to cut staff and suspend critical infrastructure repairs.

California to Set 2035 Ban for New Gasoline, Diesel Vehicles
California plans to require all new cars, trucks, and SUVs to run on electricity or hydrogen by 2035 under a policy approved Thursday by regulators that seeks a dramatic cut in carbon emissions and an eventual end to gasoline-powered vehicles.

Fossils Can Cut Methane Emissions to ‘Near-Zero’ When Regulators Get Serious, Study Shows
A new case study from Alberta shows that when regulators force the issue and producers of fossil fuels get serious, the companies can drastically reduce their methane emissions without any immediate reduction in their oil and gas extraction.

‘Clean Energy Arms Race’ Between China, U.S. Could Speed Climate Action
China suspended cooperative climate talks with the United States after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) recent trip to Taiwan, raising questions about what the two countries’ worsening relationship means for global climate action. But contrary to initial worries, some observers are taking hope from a “clean energy arms race” in the making.

U.S. Petrochemical Industry Lobbies States to Dodge Environmental Protection Rule
America’s petrochemical industry is pushing hard—and with considerable success—to have states reclassify the controversial “chemical recycling” of plastics as a manufacturing process to avoid environmental protection regulations that apply to waste disposal, says a new report by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA).

Big Investors Turn to Satellites to Track Fossil Methane Releases
The number of satellites that circle the globe is expected to rise dramatically over the next few years. Some of the current cohort of satellites bounce signals to our phones; others gather imagery of Earth’s surface. A growing field of satellite technology will be gathering information about greenhouse gas emissions.

With 247 Gigawatts Waiting in Queue, U.S. Climate Plan Could Help Stalled Wind Industry
Three recent reports from the United States Department of Energy (DOE) show the country’s wind industry healthy but struggling to expand, leading to hopes that President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)might change this trajectory.

People in Appalachia ‘Refuse to Be Sacrificed’ for Mountain Valley Gas Pipeline
Environmental advocates celebrated when U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law earlier this month. But the joy is tempered by lingering caution about a murky side bargain purported to streamline oil and gas projects, Energy News Network reports.

U.S. Judge Squashes Michigan’s Bid to Keep Line 5 Case Out of Federal Court
The international dispute over Enbridge Inc.’s Line 5 pipeline belongs in federal court, a Michigan judge declared Thursday, dealing a critical blow to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s bid to shut down the controversial cross-border oil and gas line.

Grenada’s Simon Stiell Appointed UN Climate Secretary
A strong voice for small island states is taking the helm of United Nations climate negotiations with the appointment of Grenada’s former environment minister, Simon Stiell, as the new executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC).

Guilbeault Considering Alternatives to Releasing Toxic Tailings into Athabasca River
Releasing treated tar sands/oil sands tailings into the environment isn’t the only solution being considered to clean up the massive toxic ponds in northern Alberta, federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says.

Toronto Housing’s Flagship Green Retrofit to Deliver 70% Drop in Energy Use
As the Toronto Community Housing Corporation embarks on an ambitious retrofit that will benefit its tenants and the climate, residents sweltering in a privately-owned low-income building across town are battling a landlord threatening eviction if they turn on the air-conditioning.

Fossils May Not Bid on New Drilling Leases Under U.S. Climate Bill
When U.S. President Joe Biden signed a landmark, US$369-billion climate and energy package into law earlier this week, the price of the deal was a promise to make more federal lands available for oil and gas drilling. But that doesn’t mean U.S. fossil companies are terribly keen to bid on those leases.

New Fee Model Would Turn Licence Bureaus into ‘Climate Champions’
The United States needs a 45% drop in transportation emissions by 2030 to meet its climate pledges, and the country’s web of Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) branches is ideally positioned to help make that happen, says a new report from the Rocky Mountain Institute.

Historic Climate Bill Passes U.S. House, Goes to Biden for Signature
U.S. climate hawks declared victory, Congressional Democrats got credit for a newly pragmatic approach to climate action, community campaigners demanded more ambitious action, and attention shifted to implementation after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the country’s $370-billion climate and clean energy plan and sent it to President Joe Biden’s desk for signature.

Distributed Energy Gains Ground With Mobile Microgrids, Vehicle-to-Grid Technology
A suite of recent policy and technology advancements is allowing for the growth of distributed energy resources (DERs) in the U.S., with innovative approaches like transportable microgrids and vehicle-to-grid programs gaining momentum.

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.

Focus Blame for Climate Change on Fossils and Governments, Ecoanalytics Advises
This month’s EcoA Tip highlights some useful data showing who Canadians tend to blame for climate change. The research comes from a national survey conducted by EcoAnalytics, a non-profit initiative that provides data, analysis, and guidance to strengthen Canada’s environmental movement.

Cape Breton’s Donkin Mine Pays No Penalty for Exceeding Provincial Emissions Cap
Two years after it closed, and as it contemplates reopening, the Donkin coal mine in Cape Breton is still exceeding Nova Scotia’s greenhouse gas emissions cap without incurring any penalty, as it has since it began operations five years ago.

Fossils Dismiss Federal Emissions Cap as ‘Aggressive’, ‘Unrealistic’
Canada’s biggest fossil companies are lining up to dismiss the federal government’s new emissions cap for their sector as “very aggressive” and “almost unrealistic”, even as Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault hastens to offer them flexibility and an extended deadline to hit the long-awaited target.

U.S. State Treasurers Use Public Office to Thwart Climate Action, Investigation Finds
Slamming climate action as “irrational” and “woke,” and positioning themselves as saviours of local economies, many Republican state treasurers have spent the last 18 months working to hobble and punish private and public sector efforts to wean the United States off fossil fuel dependence.

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.

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.

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.

Canada Needs Firm 2030 Target for Aviation Emissions, Advocates Tell Ottawa [Sign-on]
With Canada lagging far behind Europe and the United Kingdom in tackling carbon pollution from aviation, the country’s upcoming 10-year climate plan for the sector must be developed with public input and enforce a 30% emissions reduction target by 2030, climate advocates say.

‘Watchful Optimism’ from Climate Analysts as Canada Energy Regulator Plots Net-Zero Future
With the Canada Energy Regulator still months away from completing its next projection of the country’s future oil and gas production, climate policy watchers are cautiously optimistic that the analysis will chart a real course for a low-carbon future—and rooting for the CER to get its modelling right.

Global Gas Expansion Endangers Climate Targets, Renewables Transition
Rebuffing the still widespread narrative that natural gas is a “bridge” fuel, a team of German energy economists is warning that the massive global expansion of gas infrastructure now under way puts both climate mitigation efforts and the transition to renewable energy at risk.

BREAKING: Vancouver Votes to Fund Lawsuit Against Big Oil
Vancouver City Council voted 6-5 late Wednesday afternoon to help fund a class action lawsuit to hold the world’s biggest fossil companies responsible for their local climate impacts, in what West Coast Environmental Law (WCEL) is hailing as a “historic win”.

‘Devil in the Details’ as Ottawa Releases Options for Oil and Gas Emissions Cap
An initial proposal for an oil and gas emissions cap that is a cornerstone of Canada’s 2030 climate strategy is generating glimmers of hope but early skepticism on all sides, after Environment and Climate Minister Steven Guilbeault opened public consultations on the plan earlier this week.

‘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.

India Sees Renewables Boom Amid Global Energy Crisis
Rising clean energy investments and an expanding offshore wind sector are pointing toward a new renewable energy boom in India, as the falling cost of clean technologies paired with the global energy crisis siphons investment away from fossil fuels.

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).

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.

$6 TRILLION CLIMATE DEBT: U.S., 4 Other Big Emitters Could Face Litigation for Harm to Other Countries
Fossil fuel burning by the United States, China, Russia, India, and Brazil caused more than US$6 trillion in economic harm to other countries between 1990 and 2014, according to a study team that set out to lift the “veil of deniability” that has shielded big emitters from “climate liability and national accountability” for their actions.

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.

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.

Australia’s New Government Plans Legislated Emissions Cut, EV Incentives
Australia’s new government is putting climate change at the top of its legislative agenda when Parliament sits later this month for the first time since the May 21 election, with bills to enshrine a cut in greenhouse gas emissions and make electric cars cheaper, a minister said last Wednesday.

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.

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.

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.

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.

London Becomes Biggest City to Sign Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty
London has become the biggest city so far to endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty—a signal that experts say must be matched by action in the United Kingdom capital, where the London Stock Exchange (LSE) holds gigatonnes of embedded carbon emissions in listed companies.

Ottawa Demands Deeper Fuel Emissions Cuts, Offers Fossils a Double-Dip on Tax Breaks
The federal government is delaying new greenhouse gas emissions standards on gasoline and diesel by another year but will demand the oil and gas sector make bigger cuts to fuel emissions by 2030 given how much more money the companies are now making.

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.

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.

U.S. Supreme Court Expected to Gut Emission Controls as Climate Scientists Petition for Plan B
With the United States Supreme Court widely expected to turn its ideological wrecking ball on the country’s greenhouse gas emission controls, a group of climate scientists is pitching a new approach to regulating carbon as a toxic substance.

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.

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.

U.S. Renewables Industries Scramble to Reuse, Recycle Before Waste Volumes Skyrocket
There’s a categorical difference between the raw materials of the clean energy economy and those from fossil fuels, writes Canary Media. But to be considered truly sustainable, renewable industries need to restructure to allow their products to be recycled at the end of their lives.