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climate crisis

Alison Gu gets political with her climate fight

Alison Gu gets political with her climate fight

I am committed to supporting measures like more tree and native species planting, rain gardens and surface permeability. These all have multiple benefits, including increasing cooling shade during intense heat, flood prevention, and carbon sequestration. I’ve pushed to ensure when possible, these improvements benefit lower-income areas that need them the most, even if it might require a little more support from the city to water and care for the plantings. My goal is to make lives better for Burnaby residents while also mitigating or adapting to climate change. I am also looking forward to using existing levers like zoning to make housing more affordable, and so much more. It is very exciting.

Canada aims to plant up to 320 million trees a year to meet two billion target

Canada aims to plant up to 320 million trees a year to meet two billion target

The federal government’s plan to plant up to 320 million trees a year to meet the prime minister’s target to put an extra two billion trees in the ground by 2030 has been met with sharp criticism from opposition members including the New Democrat’s natural resources critic, Charlie Angus (NDP — Timmins-James Bay). Marie-Claude Bibeau, minister of agriculture and agri-food, said the national tree planting program “will engage farms groups across the country and help farmers manage soil erosion, improve water management, provide habitat for pollinators and other wildlife, and shelter for livestock.”

Empowering B.C. communities to protect their local watersheds

Empowering B.C. communities to protect their local watersheds

The extreme climate impacts experienced in B.C. in 2021 are ushering in new mainstream vocabulary as more and more people grapple with the enormity of the consequences taking place. Heat domes. Atmospheric rivers. Ecosystem resilience. Watershed security. Climate anxiety. All recent additions to our everyday lexicon. Climate change has swiftly become the climate crisis, as the catastrophic flooding and landslides in recent weeks have shown, preceded by the record heat waves, drought and fires of the summer.

Guelph MPP introduces water protection bill

Guelph MPP introduces water protection bill

This morning, Ontario Green Leader and MPP for Guelph Mike Schreiner reintroduced pivotal legislation to protect the Paris Galt Moraine. “It is critical that we protect water,” Schreiner said. “Both now and for future generations. This bill provides model legislation to protect moraines across the province. “As the climate crisis worsens, Ontario needs to preserve its water supplies before the situation becomes more costly and dire. More delays will cost us with our wallets and with our health. “I’ve heard from the people of Guelph loud and clear: protecting water and the Paris Gault Moraine is a top priority for the region."

Leaders link tackling water and climate at COP26 as crisis looms

Leaders link tackling water and climate at COP26 as crisis looms

Governments and U.N. agencies meeting at COP26 in Glasgow https://www.reuters.com/business/cop formed a water and climate coalition on Tuesday to address growing hazards and shrinking reserves. Led by the presidents of Tajikistan and Hungary, the coalition will seek to implement reforms which the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization says are needed in the global management of water resources.

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.

‘It was hard enough before’: Manitoba’s drought, worsened by climate crisis, is upending Prairie life

‘It was hard enough before’: Manitoba’s drought, worsened by climate crisis, is upending Prairie life

Tom Johnson saunters from his dust-covered pick-up truck and, with his foot, he nudges the side of an old tractor tire now cemented to the ground in the middle of his pasture — a make-shift trough. The extreme drought conditions that have beset his cattle ranch near Oak Point, Man., about an hour’s drive northwest of Winnipeg, have forced him to block out what the weeks or months ahead might have in store. Instead, he’s putting his head down and focusing on the new challenges each individual day presents.

From Captain Cleanwater to climate advocate

From Captain Cleanwater to climate advocate

I was always a bit of an advocate for the environment. In first grade, I dressed up as “Captain Cleanwater” and gave a talk to my whole elementary school about water conservation and protection. My parents expected my sisters and I would choose a way to make the world better, and they supported us. My mother taught us the importance of taking care of our things and each other and making sure we could pay it forward. I feel lucky that I learned as a kid that my actions have an impact.

The Big Melt

The Big Melt

The climate crisis is shrinking glaciers around the globe at a rate that startles even scientists who study the process. In British Columbia, the transformative effects extend from mountaintops, down valleys and into coastal waters. The more experts learn about what’s happening, the more they realize the complex, challenging implications of the Big Melt. Brian Menounos, a glaciologist based at the University of Northern British Columbia and a Hakai Institute affiliate, is sounding the alarm. It’s his job to document the glacial decline, and provide the best information possible to prepare for a future when the critical benefits we reap from healthy mountain ice are no longer available.

Why Indigenous Guardians are key to Canada's climate future

Why Indigenous Guardians are key to Canada's climate future

In a section focused on biodiversity and the climate crisis, the 2021 federal budget shared in April contained a clear line: “Support Indigenous Guardians.” It was an explicit reference to the Guardians programs caring for lands across the country. The Indigenous Leadership Initiative (ILI), which bolsters Indigenous nationhood and culture via land stewardship and care, helps support the growing Guardians movement.

‘Incredibly destructive’: Canada’s Prairies to see devastating impact of climate change

‘Incredibly destructive’: Canada’s Prairies to see devastating impact of climate change

As the climate continues to warm at an alarming rate, experts warn if dramatic steps to mitigate global warming are not taken, the effects in Canada’s Prairie region will be devastating to the country’s agriculture sector. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, the country is warming, on average, about double the global rate. Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the U.S. recently found 2020 was earth’s second-hottest year on record, with the average land and ocean surface temperature across the globe at 0.98 of a degree C above the 20th-century average. However, the agency found the northern hemisphere saw its hottest year on record, at 1.28 degrees C above the average.

Data gaps prevent assessment of most Canadian watersheds: WWF report

Data gaps prevent assessment of most Canadian watersheds: WWF report

Spotty research and inconsistent monitoring have made it impossible to evaluate the health of most Canadian watersheds, a study has found. “It’s still largely unknown,” said Elizabeth Hendricks of the World Wildlife Fund, which has just released its second evaluation of the condition of Canada’s freshwater environments. Hendricks said the report points to the need for standardized, national water monitoring done by local communities.

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