Climate Crisis? What Climate Crisis?

By Andrew MacLeod /Today /The Tyee

BC United vows to scrap climate action plan, while Conservatives say there is no emergency.

As British Columbia emerges from its worst wildfire season on record and continues to recover from recent climate disasters, two of the province’s opposition parties are saying they would scrap the government’s climate action plan.

“Frankly I’m embarrassed for them,” said Peter McCartney, climate campaigner for the Wilderness Committee environmental advocacy group. “It should be disqualifying for anybody who wants to hold public office in a climate emergency to not understand the gravity of the situation and the real costs it is having for British Columbians in terms of dollars, homes and lives.”

On Wednesday the leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad, released a statement saying he believes humans have an impact on the climate and that climate change is real, but that it is not a crisis.

“British Columbians are NOT facing an existential threat from our changing climate,” he said. “It isn’t a crisis. In fact, our changing climate is not the most pressing issue facing us in B.C. or around the world.”

There are just two Conservative MLAs in the legislature, but the party has been receiving similar support in polls to BC United, the former BC Liberal Party.

One of the main jobs of any government is to keep people safe, McCartney added, and to not have a climate plan is to fail on that priority.

The BC NDP government’s plan is more serious than those proposed by BC United and the Conservative Party of BC, but it still falls short, said McCartney, who was with the Frack Free BC alliance that protested outside the BC NDP’s convention last weekend. |Read more https://thetyee.ca/News/2023/11/24/What-Climate-Crisis/| thetyee.ca/News/2023/11/24/Wha…

#bcpoli #conservatives #ClimatePlan #disbelief #NoThreat #fire #floods #environment

Killer Water

In Killer Water, Brandi Morin and Geordie Day investigate the devastating impacts of Alberta’s tar sands on Indigenous communities. As we stand in this pivotal moment for both climate and Indigenous justice globally, Killer Water is an essential story.

To delve deeper into the damning impacts of Alberta’s tar sands, Ricochet has assembled a panel of experts to share their insights.

Moderated by journalist Brandi Morin, the panel will feature the following experts:

• Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Alan Adam,
• Toxicologist Mandy Olsgard,
• Dr. John O’Connor,
• and environmental lawyer and human rights advocate Steven Donziger.

|Read more https://youtu.be/D3vF66R2F0Q?si=pnLAHAeGu-Yidzgk| youtu.be/D3vF66R2F0Q?si=pnLAHA…

#abpoli #tarsands #tailings #leaks #toxic #cancer #environment #deadly

Report outlines how Canada can get credit for reducing emissions in Asia with LNG

From the Canadian Energy Centre
By Cody Ciona and Deborah Jaremko

Sharing emissions reductions through Article 6 is possible when LNG replaces coal in power generation

With Asian countries continuing to rely on coal to fuel their growth, Canada can provide a cleaner alternative while having its efforts to reduce emissions recognized by the global community, says a new report.

Canada is getting closer to exporting some of the lowest-emitting liquefied natural gas (LNG) on the planet, with the first terminal nearing completion in British Columbia.

A Canadian think tank argues providing a significantly cleaner alternative to coal should merit credit for helping Asian countries reduce emissions under a global climate treaty.

“Sharing emissions reductions through Article 6 [of the Paris Agreement] is possible when LNG replaces coal in power generation,” writes Jerome Gessaroli, a senior fellow with the Macdonald Laurier Institute.

“New LNG projects within British Columbia are amongst the least carbon-intensive sources of LNG in the world. BC’s LNG exports could lower global carbon emissions by displacing coal power, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Adopted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2015, the Paris Agreement was ratified by Canada on October 5, 2016. This agreement set forth the worldwide effort to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Article 6 outlines that countries may pursue “voluntary cooperation” with others to implement their nationally determined efforts to reduce emissions. |Read more https://www.todayville.com/report-outlines-how-canada-can-get-credit-for-reducing-emissions-in-asia-with-lng/| todayville.com/report-outlines…

#bcpoli #cdnpoli #emissions #Article6 #IPCC #LNG #coal

Alberta NDP decries contract for government supporter to review energy regulator

By Bob Weber, The Canadian Press
Posted Nov 23, 2023 02:09:26 PM.
Last Updated Nov 23, 2023 02:09:31 PM.

Alberta’s Opposition New Democrats are condemning another sole-source contract handed out to a close associate of the United Conservative Party government.

A recently released document shows David Yager, a longtime oilpatch executive, journalist and conservative activist, is being paid $70,000 to review the Alberta Energy Regulator. The information is contained in government disclosure statements that are released quarterly.

The disclosure reveals little about what Yager has been asked to review. It refers to a “review” of the regulator _ one of Alberta’s most important public bodies _ and gives an end date of February.

Neither Alberta’s energy ministry nor Yager were immediately available for a response. A spokesperson for the regulator said it had no comment.

Rules posted on the government’s website say sole-source contracts can be issued when “it can be demonstrated that only one supplier is able to meet the requirements of a procurement.”

NDP critic Kathleen Ganley questioned Thursday whether that rule was applied in this case.

“In a province full of energy experts, it leaves you to wonder what the work is, if the outcome is predetermined.” |Read more https://calgary.citynews.ca/2023/11/23/alberta-ndp-aer-review/| calgary.citynews.ca/2023/11/23…

#abpoli #AER #review #predetermined #OilpatchExecutive #moneyfornothing

GTHA Emissions Rise 8%, Gas Plant Pollution Up 56% in Two Years, Despite Clean, Affordable Alternatives

The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) will have to reduce its climate pollution by an ambitious 9% per year to meet its 2030 climate targets, after the latest annual inventory of the region’s emissions showed an 8% increase in 2022—alongside a stunning 56% rise from gas-fired electricity over two years.

The Carbon Emissions Inventory Report produced by The Atmospheric Fund shows CO2 output rising across all the region’s major population centres, and in every sector of the local economy, hitting a total of 54 million tonnes last year. But Bryan Purcell, TAF’s vice president, policy and programs, told the Toronto Star the GTHA is taking an even bigger percentage hit from the electricity sector, where emissions are up 26% over one year and 56% over two.

“That’s because the use of natural gas generation is increasing,” Purcell said. “That’s eroding some of the progress we’re making to electrify buildings and transportation.”

The numbers show that “we really need to stop sinking investments into fossil gas infrastructure and equipment,” he told The Energy Mix. “That’s going to make it very hard to make absolute progress in reducing emissions.” Instead, those dollars could be directed to cleaner, more affordable options that are available across the GTHA.

“The solutions are right in front of us,” but “we must not go backwards,” TAF CEO Julia Langer said in a release. “Planning new fossil fuel infrastructure like gas plants and gas hookups has to stop. If you’re in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.”

While the local shift from fossil fuels to clean energy is gaining momentum, Purcell said the numbers point to the immediate need for the GTHA to pick up the pace.

“The challenge we’re having is that lots of Canadians are adopting new technologies like electric vehicles and heat pumps, but for every home retrofitted with a heat pump, we’re seeing two new homes heated with natural gas,” he explained. Similarly, several new internal combustion vehicles are rolling off the lot for every new EV sold. Meanwhile, the Ontario government is contracting for new gas-fired power plants, across the region and across the province. |Read more https://www.theenergymix.com/2023/11/23/gtha-emissions-rise-8-gas-plant-pollution-up-56-in-two-years-despite-clean-affordable-alternatives/| theenergymix.com/2023/11/23/gt…

#onpoli #environment #pollution #CO2 #gas #infrastructure #fossilFuel