Climate conference hears loss of Arctic summer sea ice now inevitable by 2050

Nov. 7, 2022 – CBC – A new report says it’s now inevitable the Arctic will lose its entire summer sea cover at least once over the next generation and probably a lot more often than that.

COP27 climate summit to test resolve of world battling war, inflation

Oct. 31, 2022 – Reuters – An international climate summit starting next week in Egypt will test the resolve of nations to combat global warming, even as many of the biggest players are distracted by urgent crises ranging from war in Europe to rampant consumer inflation.

More than 30,000 delegates, including representatives from some 200 countries, will gather Nov. 6-18 in the seaside resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh to hash out details around how to slow climate change and help those already feeling its impacts.

96% of humans feel global warming: study

Oct. 30, 2022 – Global Times – Whether they realized it or not, some 7.6 billion people – 96 percent of humanity – felt global warming’s impact on temperatures over the last 12 months, researchers have said.

But some regions felt it far more sharply and frequently than others, according to a report based on peer-reviewed methods from Climate Central, a climate science think tank.

People in tropical regions and on small islands surrounded by heat-absorbing oceans were disproportionately impacted by human-induced temperature increases to which they barely contributed.

New NASA tool helps detect ‘super-emitters’ of methane from space

Oct. 30, 2022 – Phys.org – NASA scientists, using a tool designed to study how dust affects climate, have identified more than 50 spots around the world emitting major levels of methane, a development that could help combat the potent greenhouse gas.

Climate Changed: Canada’s health system isn’t ready for new reality, say doctors

Oct. 30, 2022 – Winnipeg Free Press – Montreal family doctor Claudel Pétrin-Desrosiers sees climate change as an all-encompassing “risk amplifier.”

She says it raises the potential for hazard across the board, from threatening the most basic health determinants, such as air quality and access to food and water, to exacerbating seasonal allergies and tick-borne Lyme disease.

Climate crisis: UN finds ‘no credible pathway to 1.5C in place’

Oct. 27, 2022 – The Guardian – The UN environment report analysed the gap between the CO₂ cuts pledged by countries and the cuts needed to limit any rise in global temperature to 1.5C, the internationally agreed target. Progress has been “woefully inadequate” it concluded.

Current pledges for action by 2030, if delivered in full, would mean a rise in global heating of about 2.5C and catastrophic extreme weather around the world. A rise of 1C to date has caused climate disasters in locations from Pakistan to Puerto Rico.

Pope calls for courage in halting use of fossil fuels to protect planet

Sept. 24, 2022 – The Guardian – Pontiff tells young people he is pinning his hopes on their efforts to safeguard environment and help the poor.

Pope Francis has called for courage in abandoning fossil fuels and lamented that older generations did not know how to protect the planet and secure peace.

The pope, who was visiting Assisi, the birthplace of his namesake saint who was close to nature, told young people on Saturday that he was pinning his hopes on their efforts in working to save the planet and to make the world’s economy more attentive to the poor.

Climate Change Could Cost The Global Economy $23 Trillion By 2050

Sept. 24, 2022 – Oilprice.com – The U.S. federal government alone could spend between $25 billion and $128 billion each year in such areas as coastal disaster relief, flood insurance and crop insurance.

A new report from Oxford University found that switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy could save the world a whopping $12 trillion US dollars by just 2050.

Interview: New UN climate chief takes the fight personally

Sept. 24, 2022 – Winnipeg Free Press – UNITED NATIONS (AP) — For the United Nations’ new climate chief, the fight is personal.

As a former engineer who says he knows “how to make things work and get things done,” it wasn’t just what Simon Stiell did before he became a top U.N. official, it was where.

‘Time is up’: Countries trapped in climate crisis raise alarm at U.N.

Sept. 23, 2022 – Reuters –

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 23 (Reuters) – Countries on the front lines of the climate crisis are fed up.

During the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations this week, low-lying island nation Vanuatu stepped up a fight to get the world to focus on combating global warming by calling for a fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty.

“The time is up – action is required now,” Vanuatu’s President Nikenike Vurobaravu told the U.N. General Assembly on Friday.

Winnipeg’s shiny plan for net-zero emissions

July 2, 2022 – In order to decarbonize by 2050, Manitoba’s capital needs to make big changes. A brand new roadmap lays out the path — now it’s up to the city to see it through.

How to Push Wall Street to Ditch Fossil Fuels for Clean Energy

Jun 2, 2022 – BNN Bloomberg — The invasion of Ukraine has put the US and Europe on a wartime mission to abandon Russian fossil fuels. This series looks at speeding up zero-carbon alternatives by lowering political and financial barriers.

Climate agreement between Canada, India discusses renewable energy but omits coal

June 2 – Winnipeg Free Press
OTTAWA – Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says a new agreement signed Thursday to co-operate with India on climate action is an opportunity for Canada to export its renewable energy technology, particularly related to making renewable energy a reliable source of electricity.

Provinces Show Mixed Results in Shift to Net-Zero

May 31, 2022 – The Energy Mix

While British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec all have clear momentum in their preparations for the global transition off carbon, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, and especially Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador need to put pedal to the metal, says a new report from the Canadian Climate Institute (CCI).

Is Manitoba’s wild weather a sign of climate change?

May 14, 2022 – CBC – While variability is the norm for the Prairies, climate change could make swings more extreme, experts say. Within the span of a year, Manitoba went from having one of its driest summers in decades to having one of its worst floods on record.

Regenerative agriculture can combat climate change and keep food on our plates. Here’s how it works

Apr 4, 2022 – National Observer

Regenerative agriculture is an approach to agriculture that promises to sequester carbon and boost biodiversity. Over the past decade, the approach has been promoted by both small- and large-scale farmers, environmental and social justice advocates, agribusiness CEOs, tech bros, journalists, and academics. It’s even received federal support.

As Canada tackles building emissions, what’s a natural gas utility to do?

Jan 27, 2022 – CBC News –

As we tackle GHG emissions from buildings, we will need to stop using fossil natural gas for heating. In BC, this is causing a debate between BC Hydro and FortisBC (the natural gas company).

Geothermal heating co-op shares warmth among Montreal neighbours

Jan 20, 2022 – CBC News –

It’s been a long and complicated journey, but this winter, for the first time, Montreal co-operative organization Celsius is heating seven homes in their neighbourhood retrofitted with geothermal heat pumps, also known as ground source heat pumps or geoexchange systems.