Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

IPCC

Unchecked climate change puts Canada’s West Coast in hot water

Unchecked climate change puts Canada’s West Coast in hot water

Last year was the hottest on record for the ocean, an upward trend only expected to continue as it wreaks havoc on coastal communities and spurs irreversible losses to marine ecosystems. Ocean warming has cascading effects, melting polar ice and causing sea-level rise, marine heat waves and ocean acidification, the United Nations’ panel of climate experts made clear on Monday. Sea-level rise has doubled in the last three decades, reaching a record high in 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported. Rising seas, coupled with more extreme weather, are setting the stage for a perfect storm of flooding for coastal communities. 

What are El Niño and La Niña, and how do they change the weather?

What are El Niño and La Niña, and how do they change the weather?

Winds blowing along the Equator above the Pacific Ocean - from South America in the east towards Asia in the west - were stronger than normal. These "trade winds" piled warm water off the coast of Asia, raising the sea surface level. In the east, near the Americas, cold water flowed upwards to the surface. During El Niño the opposite happens - weaker trade winds mean the warm water spreads out back towards the Americas, and less cold water rises towards the surface.

Canadian delegation to tell COP27 about oceans' role in fighting climate change

Canadian delegation to tell COP27 about oceans' role in fighting climate change

Lying in plain sight and lapping against our shores is what scientists describe as an unsung hero that has been quietly absorbing heat and keeping the world’s temperatures under control. And over the coming days, a group of Canadian researchers hopes to persuade the world that the ocean has a crucial role to play in fighting climate change. Prof. Anya Waite is leading a delegation from Dalhousie University’s Ocean Frontier Institute to attend the 27th annual Conference of the Parties of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change — better known as COP27 — in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, starting Sunday. They plan to share ways the deep blue carbon sink acts as a buffer and impacts climate forecasts.

Saskatchewan's emission numbers make us a world leader in the worst way possible

Saskatchewan's emission numbers make us a world leader in the worst way possible

This summer, many places in Saskatchewan broke temperature records. The province could be facing its worst drought since 1961. Extreme heat waves are creating wildfires in the north. Dry weather and water stress will adversely affect agriculture, increase wildfires, impact livelihoods in rural areas, and increase risk of invasive species. The price is too high to pay.

Good news: Some climate change impacts are 'reversible.' Here's what that means

Good news: Some climate change impacts are 'reversible.' Here's what that means

The latest UN climate report this week raised the alarm over the "irreversible" impacts of climate change, such as rising seas and coastal flooding that we will continue to experience for centuries or longer — even if we stop emitting greenhouse gases and halt global warming now. "We are now committed to some aspects of climate change, some of which are irreversible for hundreds to thousands of years," said Tamsin Edwards, a climate scientist at King's College London and co-author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released Monday. The good news is that some impacts, such the warming of the Earth's surface, can be reversed by removing carbon from the atmosphere — at least in theory.

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