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

climate crisis

Back to top Kootenay resident’s work in water protection wins two BC Achievement Awards

Back to top Kootenay resident’s work in water protection wins two BC Achievement Awards

“I have been privileged enough to find a path of work in environmental and water stewardship. This work has been deeply rewarding despite the overwhelming sense of urgency to address the climate and the biodiversity crises we have put ourselves in.” The annual BC Achievement Community Awards recognize extraordinary British Columbians who build better, stronger and more resilient communities. The Mitchell Award of Distinction recognizes one individual in particular who demonstrates “an unwavering commitment to elevating people around them”. Hartwig’s lifelong work in environmental conservation, and her selfless leadership style that empowers others to lead and excel, was the rationale provided by the BC Achievement Foundation for singling out Hartwig as this year’s Mitchell Award designate.

Ocean temperatures are off the charts right now, and scientists are alarmed

Ocean temperatures are off the charts right now, and scientists are alarmed

What’s behind this rapid increase isn’t totally clear yet. “These temperatures just rocketed up, people haven’t had a chance to puzzle it all out,” Johnson said. Some scientists are concerned the scale of these new records could mark the start of an alarming trend. Others say record-breaking temperatures like these are always concerning but to be expected given the human-caused climate crisis. All agree the consequences are likely to be significant. Warmer oceans bleach coral, kill marine life, increase sea level rise and make the ocean less efficient at absorbing planet-warming pollution – the warmer oceans get, the more the planet will heat.

Scary precipitation stats from Environment Canada

Scary precipitation stats from Environment Canada

Well, the numbers are in, and they should terrify all of us. March was an extremely dry month throughout the Okanagan Valley, with Kelowna experiencing its sixth driest month on record. To the north, Vernon had its fourth driest month on record and Penticton had its second driest March on record, with only 1.8 mm of precipitation compared with an average of 23.6 mm. Those are some troubling numbers, especially when contrasted with a city skyline increasingly dotted with cranes, as Kelowna continues to be one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada.

Why do oceans matter for climate change?

Why do oceans matter for climate change?

As the climate crisis gets worse, oceans — the planet’s greatest carbon sink — can no longer be overlooked. Spanning 70 per cent of the globe, oceans have absorbed nearly a third of the planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans and 90 per cent of the excess heat those gases create. The heat stored in the Earth’s entire atmosphere is equal to what’s stored in the top few metres of our oceans. If that wasn’t enough, oceans produce more than 50 per cent of the planet’s oxygen and regulate our climate and weather patterns.

Why do oceans matter for climate change?

Why do oceans matter for climate change?

As the climate crisis gets worse, oceans — the planet’s greatest carbon sink — can no longer be overlooked. Spanning 70 per cent of the globe, oceans have absorbed nearly a third of the planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans and 90 per cent of the excess heat those gases create. The heat stored in the Earth’s entire atmosphere is equal to what’s stored in the top few metres of our oceans. If that wasn’t enough, oceans produce more than 50 per cent of the planet’s oxygen and regulate our climate and weather patterns.

Amidst the climate crisis, the case for hope is getting stronger

Amidst the climate crisis, the case for hope is getting stronger

Are you hopeful that the world will soon turn the corner on climate change? The scientific evidence is clear — we have to stop filling our atmosphere with polluting gases that are heating our planet. And yet, the emissions from fossil fuels continue to rise unabated. At this very moment, there are industry lobbyists, politicians and media organizations fighting to prevent any government policies or global agreements that threaten growth in oil, gas and coal production.

The Climate Crisis is a Water Crisis: Monitoring for Adaptation in the Columbia Basin

The Climate Crisis is a Water Crisis: Monitoring for Adaptation in the Columbia Basin

It took until 2022, but water finally made it onto the official agenda of a UN Climate Change Conference. ‘Water Day’ was designated for November 14 at the recent COP27 climate change conference in Egypt where 190 countries had assembled to discuss climate action. Water Day discussions covered water scarcity, drought, early warning systems, and cross boundary cooperation, with one entire session devoted to the critical importance of monitoring and managing river basin systems.

In time of climate crisis, Manitoba unveils new water strategy

In time of climate crisis, Manitoba unveils new water strategy

From nutrient-rich wetlands and 100,000 lakes to a dry southern region and an Arctic port, Manitoba is a province defined by water — after all, nearly a fifth of the province is covered in it. Now, in an update nearly 20 years in the waiting, the Manitoba government has released a strategy to manage its water resources — factoring in the impacts of a warming climate for the first time.

‘Before the flood’: The growing urgency of adapting to the climate crisis

‘Before the flood’: The growing urgency of adapting to the climate crisis

The adaptation measures, he says, include looking at “building codes, where we build, how we build,” as well as efforts “to develop a national flood insurance program” to better inform planning decisions. Better flood mapping is also part of the government’s strategy. One community that is showing the way in that respect is Peterborough, Ont., about two hours east of Toronto. Nearly twenty years ago, it was severely impacted by floods of epic proportions that any resident old enough to have lived through them can hardly forget.

N.W.T.'s Daniel T'seleie at COP27 says 'land back' to Indigenous people part of climate solution

N.W.T.'s Daniel T'seleie at COP27 says 'land back' to Indigenous people part of climate solution

Daniel T'seleie, who is with the Keepers of Water, and Indigenous Climate Action, both Indigenous-led organisation focusing on climate change action, said climate change solutions on the agenda for COP27, like carbon trading, don't address what really needs to be done. "The only way to stop climate change," he said, "is to stop the extraction and use of fossil fuels. If that's not the flagship then we're not going to stop the climate crisis."

Think of Samanta Jovanovic as a cleantech matchmaker

Think of Samanta Jovanovic as a cleantech matchmaker

Samanta Jovanovic is a climate change matchmaker. As executive director of Start Alberta, this 34-year-old Calgarian helps entrepreneurs and investors find each other. This piece is part of a series of profiles highlighting young people across the country who are addressing the climate crisis. These extraordinary humans give me hope. I write these stories to pay it forward.

David Suzuki: Water runs through the climate crisis

David Suzuki: Water runs through the climate crisis

Sometimes there’s too much water; sometimes not enough. A major challenge with global heating is that it doesn’t necessarily cause more or less of something in a specific geographic area (hotter, colder; wetter, dryer); it just makes everything less predictable and often more extreme. Consider some late-summer headlines. Pakistan “faces ‘monsoon on steroids’ as more flood warnings issued”. In Spain, “Historic monuments resurface as severe drought shrinks reservoirs.” Melting Greenland ice is “set to raise sea levels by nearly a foot”. In Jackson, Also, in the U.S., “As Colorado River dries, the U.S. teeters on the brink of larger water crisis”.Mississippi, the “water system is failing, city will be with no or little drinking water indefinitely”.

Trying to tame the tide exacerbates climate crisis

Trying to tame the tide exacerbates climate crisis

In 1908, locals in Cape Cod, Mass., built an earthen dike across the Herring River to curtail its flow into the surrounding wetlands. Their goal was to clamp down on the number of mosquitoes. The dike destroyed the original salt marsh, replacing it with woodland, shrub, and impounded wetlands. But the community’s efforts over a century ago did far more than dry out the landscape. According to a new study, impounded wetlands can undergo an important change, shifting from carbon sinks into methane sources. The transformation turns these landscapes from ones that help mitigate climate change into ones that exacerbate it.

Reflections on the extraordinary power of slow water

Reflections on the extraordinary power of slow water

The advance of the climate crisis, marked by its extremes — droughts or deluges, fires or floods — makes abundantly clear the human habit of trying to contain and control water isn’t working. For her new book, Water Always Wins, National Geographic Explorer Erica Gies criss-crossed the globe, witnessing some of the unanticipated results of modern society’s preference for engineered solutions.

Expert Q&A on water crisis amidst climate change

Expert Q&A on water crisis amidst climate change

The threat to water security is just as urgent as the climate crisis, says Oliver M. Brandes, project lead of the POLIS Water Sustainability Project at the University of Victoria. For more than 20 years, Brandes has worked with UVic researchers, students and collaborators, as well as government committees, community members and other partners to raise the alarm while continuing to nourish a sense of hope.

State of water security in Canada: A water-rich nation prepares for the future after seasons of disaster

State of water security in Canada: A water-rich nation prepares for the future after seasons of disaster

The climate crisis is becoming a water crisis, and last year was one of the most disastrous years in Canadian history for water-related extreme events. Widespread drought, flooding, wildfires, permafrost thaw, and glacier retreat resulted in damage to communities, lakes, forests, animals, and crops. As spring 2022 begins, scientists are seeing snowpacks at record-highs in the Yukon and parts of the Rocky Mountains and Manitoba that could lead to more flooding in the West. However, low to non-existent snowpacks have developed across parts of southern Alberta indicating that another drought leading to difficulty growing crops and feeding and watering livestock, could also be on the horizon.

B.C. Climate News Feb. 14 to Feb. 20, 2022: Sea level to rise by 2050 as much as in past century, NOAA says | Study suggests climate change made floods at least twice as likely

B.C. Climate News Feb. 14 to Feb. 20, 2022: Sea level to rise by 2050 as much as in past century, NOAA says | Study suggests climate change made floods at least twice as likely

Here’s your weekly update with what you need to know about global climate change and the steps B.C. is taking to address the climate and ecological crises for the week of Feb. 14 to Feb. 20, 2022. Study suggests climate change made B.C. floods at least twice as likely. Metro Vancouver talks to climate scientist David Holland in Antarctica. More than half of B.C. residents concerned about climate change, but still prefer gas to cook. Sea level to rise by 2050 as much as in past century, NOAA says

Indigenous communities to be hit with ‘ecological grief, loss of land and traditional knowledge’ because of climate crisis

Indigenous communities to be hit with ‘ecological grief, loss of land and traditional knowledge’ because of climate crisis

The list of how the climate crisis is affecting Indigenous communities is long — and everything on it is to the detriment of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people says a new report from Health Canada. “The changing climate will exacerbate the health and socio-economic inequities already experienced by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, including respiratory, cardiovascular, water- and foodborne, chronic and infectious diseases, as well as financial hardship and food insecurity,” says the report called Health of Canadians in a Changing Climate that was released Thursday.

British Columbia developing plan to protect drinking water, ecosystems

British Columbia developing plan to protect drinking water, ecosystems

Severe drought, wildfires, flooding and landslides in British Columbia last year show that responding to climate change requires focusing on water and strengthening natural defences provided by healthy watersheds, an expert says. “We’ve all learned that climate crisis is a water crisis,” said Oliver Brandes, co-director of the University of Victoria’s POLIS Project on Ecological Governance.

Rosie Simms helps keep the fresh water flowing

Rosie Simms helps keep the fresh water flowing

Fresh water is the basis of all life. In Canada, we have often taken water for granted, assuming its abundance. This sense of security is now threatened as more and more communities deal with devastating droughts, floods, fires and contaminated water. At POLIS, our work addresses the root causes of water sustainability problems. We look at how laws, policies, and governance (who makes decisions and how) need to change to ensure our rivers and streams can keep our land and people healthy, provide communities with greater influence over their watersheds, and respect Indigenous legal orders.

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