We have disrupted a cycle essential to all life.

Humans have disrupted a cycle essential to all life. Doctors and economists may seem like strange partners.

Christopher Ragan, Director, Max Bell School of Public Policy, McGill University and Courtney Howard, Clinical associate professor, Department of Family Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary spend their days working on very different problems in very different settings. But climate change has injected a common and urgent vocabulary into our work. We find ourselves agreeing both about the nature of the problem and the best solution. It’s essential that we put a price on carbon pollution.

Emergency physician Edward Xie has worked in Toronto for over 10 years. Lately, he’s seen more patients anxious about tick bites. It’s no wonder. A recent medical study shows a fivefold increase in Lyme disease cases in Ontario between 2012 and 2017 as ticks expand their habitat northward.
Dr. Xie also notices more cases of heat exhaustion and dehydration in summer months — particularly among elderly and low-income individuals who lack adequate housing. In Toronto alone, heat already contributes to an estimated 120 deaths each year. The city expects that number to grow.1

Doctors and economists agree. Climate change is here, it’s getting worse, and the best time to do something about it is right now. One way or another, we are paying the costs of climate change — in sick days and lost wages, rising health care costs and home insurance rates, and a less stable climate for the next generation. And we’re still adding new charges to our bill. Both professions agree: we must act.

In a new open letter, more than 3,500 economists state that climate change is “a serious problem” calling for immediate action. The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change research collaborative, which includes doctors and economists, agrees that adequately pricing carbon could be the single most important treatment for climate change.
Economics has a very clear prescription for these challenges: carbon pricing. In the same way that penicillin treats an infection, carbon pricing can help fight climate change. It effectively targets the root of the problem and there’s a mountain of evidence that it works.2 

Several Canadian medical organizations issued a call to all federal political parties to act on climate change, urging serious treatment for what the World Health Organization calls “greatest health threat in the 21st century.”

References

1	(2019, June 30). COMMENTARY: Why doctors argue 'carbon pricing' can 'cure' climate .... Retrieved June 30, 2019, from https://globalnews.ca/news/5428375/climate-change-carbon-tax/
2	(2019, June 24). Climate change puts health at risk and economists have the right .... Retrieved June 30, 2019, from http://theconversation.com/climate-change-puts-health-at-risk-and-economists-have-the-right-prescription-118797

Venus Project and Laudato Si

The transition advocated by the Venus Project and the conversion exhorted in Pope Francis encyclical “Laudato Si” share some common ground.

Source: https://www.thevenusproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/tvp_smi1200_series1_2of10_commonheritage.jpg

Jacque Fresco, Founder of The Venus Project, comments that the only hope for developing a new civilization is to accept responsibility for improving our lives through knowledge, understanding, and a deeper comprehension of humanity’s relationship to natural processes of evolution. Our future is determined by the effort we put forth to achieve this transition.

The Venus Project proposes directing our technology and resources toward the maximum benefit of people and planet, and seeking out new ways of thinking and living that emphasize and celebrate the vast potential of the human spirit. We have the tools at hand to design and build a future that is worthy of the human potential.1 

In this sixth episode of "Understanding Laudato Si," Fr. Daniel P. Horan, OFM, explores the second half of Chapter Two. The four subheadings of Chapter Two examined here include the themes of: (A) The message of each creature in the harmony of creation; (B) A universal communion; (C) The common destination of goods;

and (D) The gaze of Jesus.

95. The natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone. If we make something our own, it is only to administer it for the good of all. If we do not, we burden our consciences with the weight of having denied the existence of others. That is why the New Zealand bishops asked what the commandment “Thou shall not kill” means when “twenty percent of the world’s population consumes resources at a rate that robs the poor nations and future generations of what they need to survive”.[78]2 

Laudato Si and the Venus Project both understand the earth’s resources to be the common heritage and responsibility of all peoples. The possibility of complementary action in acting on the direction of these projects is worth exploration.

References

1	(n.d.). What Kind of World (a series: #2 of 10) | The Venus Project. Retrieved June 29, 2019, from https://www.thevenusproject.com/multimedia/%E2%80%A8what-kind-of-world-a-series-2-of-10/
2	(2015, May 24). Laudato si' (24 May 2015) - La Santa Sede. Retrieved June 29, 2019, from http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

Canada declares Climate Emergency

The motions of governing parties about climate action have an effect in raising the profile and perhaps the anxiety around this issue.

Coastal erosion and flooding

Hannah Jackson, of Global News, reports the House of Commons passed a motion to declare a national climate emergency in Canada on Monday June 16. The motion was put forward by Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna, and it passed with 186 votes to 63. It declares a national climate emergency, and supports the country’s commitment to meeting the emissions targets outlined in the Paris Agreement.

 “The science shows that Canada is warming at twice the global average and that we need to meet our international obligations,” she wrote.
“That’s why I’m voting for the motion and that’s why Canada’s already taking action.”1

Jolson Lim, of ipolitics, reports that Conservative leader Andrew Scheer opposes the Liberal motion on declaring ‘climate emergency’. Scheer told CTV’s Question Period a year ago that the Conservatives’ climate plan would “of course” meeting the 2030 Paris targets, but told the same show in December that his plan would have “meaningful reductions.”

Scheer also accused the Liberals today of wasting precious time in the House, with less than five sitting weeks left for Parliament, in order to score political points.
“We’re in the dying days of a scandal-plagued Liberal government and they’re using precious House time on a symbolic gesture rather than taking real action,” he said, who added that it serves as a distraction from recent controversies such as the SNC-Lavalin and Mark Norman affairs.2 

Clinical psychologist and climate emergency campaigner, Jane Morton, has created a 24-page booklet and a 45-minute presentation on the topic of how we get more people to listen and take action on climate issues.

When an emergency situation confronts a nation, our ability to work together and pursue common ground efficiently is crucial to address the threat.

References

1	(2019, June 18). National climate emergency declared by House of ... - Global News. Retrieved June 18, 2019, from https://globalnews.ca/news/5401586/canada-national-climate-emergency/
2	(2019, May 15). Scheer to oppose Liberal motion on declaring 'climate emergency .... Retrieved June 18, 2019, from https://ipolitics.ca/2019/05/15/scheer-to-oppose-liberal-motion-on-declaring-climate-emergency/
3	(n.d.). Climate Emergency Declaration - Call to declare a climate emergency. Retrieved June 18, 2019, from https://climateemergencydeclaration.org/

Some conservative concerns on climate change

Climate change may be a serious ballot box issue for the youngest voters in the next federal election.

Will young voters rally?

Robin V. Sears, Contributing Columnist at the Star, offers some opinions on how Canadian conservatives are likely to feel the heat on climate change.

With the rare exception of a Brian Mulroney or a Peter Lougheed the environmental track record of Canadian conservatives is not pretty, either. Look up Mike Harris on global warming if you want a mordant chuckle. Andrew Scheer must now walk a terrifying razor blade on climate. Without greater climate credibility among young Torontonians, Montrealers and Vancouverites he will lose.
Pushing too hard on his new-found conviction about carbon, he runs into three angry Conservative premiers in his heartland, each of whom is in various stages of denial about pricing carbon. He will give a major environmental policy speech in a few days’ time. One may safely predict he will take bullets from all sides of the debate no matter what he says.1 

Schumpeter from The Economist looks at Europe's carbon crunch and concludes for industry, climate policy is a delicate balancing act.

Fighting global warming requires a much faster shift towards clean energy by all. However, European firms have come a long way in modernising their views on emissions, partly influenced by the ets. The first to be hit hard by the new reality have been the region’s utilities. A flood of renewables, especially after the acceleration of Germany’s energiewende (energy transition) in 2011, clobbered power prices and caused utilities such as Germany’s e.on and rwe to suffer years of losses. Some have since dumped their old fossil-fuel assets and embraced wind and solar, enabling them to benefit from higher carbon prices.2 

Don Pittis, Business columnist for the CBC, comments that Markets will advance the green agenda,

Conservative appeal

even if some governments lose interest.

But as 2030 approaches, if the forecast seems to be coming true, it is the more expensive oil, such as that set to be shipped via Canada's taxpayer-funded Trans Mountain pipeline, that won't find investors — and eventually won't be wanted.
"In our view, it is completely possible, and probable, that the pipeline would not deliver as much return as the government currently expects it to," said Jean-François Mercure,.3 

The conservative plan for control of carbon emissions will need to find common ground among diverse interests.

References

1	(2019, June 16). Conservatives feel heat on climate change | The Star. Retrieved June 16, 2019, from https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2019/06/16/conservatives-feel-heat-on-climate-change.html
2	(2019, January 11). For industry, climate policy is a delicate balancing act - The Economist. Retrieved January 16, 2019, from https://www.economist.com/business/2019/01/12/for-industry-climate-policy-is-a-delicate-balancing-act
3	(n.d.). Markets will advance green agenda — even if some governments lose .... Retrieved November 20, 2018, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/carbon-energy-technology-canada-1.4697697

Scope of eco-justice activity on climate change

Below are a collection of three information videos to help clarify the scope of eco-justice activity and address some misconceptions and misinterpretations of the science of climate change. Andrea Cohen B. asks Did you ever notice that the same leaders denying climate change are the ones drumming up fear and hatred against migrants? Check out this short explainer video on why the climate movement must fight for migrant justice to win the world we need. Voiceover by Thandie Newton. Special thanks to Migrant Workers Alliance for Change and Harsha Walia for advice and guidance. Learn more: http://theleap.org/climate-migration/ (Creative Producer @Andrea Cohen B. Produced by Meta4Films Inc.)

The AST Podcast on Climate Catastrophe Catastrophic climate change is here. People are being displaced, many species are becoming extinct. And this situation will get worse. This podcast begins to explore what Ethics, Law, and Theology have to say to this world, a world in crisis due to ecological catastrophe. It discusses some things you may have heard discussed before – such as why and how Christians need to change. It also explores questions that, as the 21st-century proceeds, will become more and more relevant such as - would acts of ecological terrorism, such as blowing up a pipeline, be morally justified? How should criminal law evolve in response to the unprecedented challenges climate-driven social catastrophe poses? And what lenses can Theology and Ethics bring to a new dark age of climate-driven social breakdown? In this conversation, AST David Deane is joined by Professor Cathy Driscoll and Professor Rob Currie. Cathy is a Professor in the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University and Chair of the Halifax-Yarmouth Diocesan Council for Development and Peace – Caritas Canada. She is a certified Laudato Si’ Animator with the Global Catholic Climate Movement. Rob is a Professor in the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. He is a leading expert on criminal law whose work is regularly cited by the Supreme Court of Canada. His seminal, International and Transnational Criminal Law, was shortlisted for the Walter Owen Book Prize for Outstanding Legal Literature in 2011

Global Weirding: Climate, Politics, and Religion with Katharine Hayhoe is produced by KTTZ Texas Tech Public ... What's the Big Deal With a Few Degrees​?

Political challenge to find common ground on climate

A scientist, people living along the Trans Mountain pipeline, and a social economic think tank have some opinions to share on the threats to the Canadian economy, world ecosystem, and future employment as we near the fall 2019 federal election.

Our conversion to care for the planet

Gerald Kutney, Ph.D. in chemistry, and author on climate change addresses conservative Canadians noting that Doug Ford and Andrew Scheer seem oblivious to the climate emergency threat. Canada had already responded to the issue of climate change by placing a price on carbon, endorsed by Nobel-prize-winning economist Patricia Espinosa.

The younger generation also recognizes the urgency of climate change, as witnessed by the youth movement under the hashtag #FridayForFutures, inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thuneberg. A student in the large turnout in Montreal, Maria Burgos, declared that: "The politicians, the older generation, they can pass this off on us. We won't stand here and do the same for our children and grandchildren."
The science of climate change, as with all science, is apolitical, by definition. Yet, climate change has become mired in a political battle royale. Conservative politicians seem oblivious to this threat or are willing to put politics ahead of people and the planet. We are but several months away from the election, and Andrew Scheer still has no plan to address climate change.1 

Anna Maria Tremonti of CBC The Current recently travelled the 1,150 km route of the Trans Mountain pipeline, to meet the people whose lives have become tangled up in the debate about its expansion. She presents a documentary that shares viewpoints from many sides of the debate. Susan Delacourt analyses the apparent “no middle ground” on this issue by identifying the short time frame of an election and what the public normally thinks is a long term timeframe for caring for the environment.

Anna Maria Tremonti recently travelled the 1,150 km route of the Trans Mountain pipeline, to meet the people whose lives have become tangled up in the debate about its expansion.The federal government is expected to make a final decision about the Trans Mountain pipeline by next Tuesday. Our national affairs panel discusses how pipeline politics, and competing climate change strategies, will be major issues in this year's federal election. In the final half hour of the program Susan Delacourt comments on no middle ground in this debate Mia Rabson notes that people are not backing the climate science because we don’t like to change what we are doing. Susan Delacourt observes that politics is short term business and environment is perceived to be a long term thing. Recent events remind us of the 11 years the IPCC has given for us to act. 2 

Brendan Haley reports that the history of the original “New Deal” teaches us that guaranteeing economic and social security can be part of a political bargain that enables the take-off of green energy technologies.

Today, green energy innovation has progressed at an impressive pace. The price of renewable energy technologies has decreased dramatically, and some predict that the cost of owning an electric car will be on par with a gasoline counterpart by 2022. Yet, politicians and vested interests are aggressively exploiting economic insecurities over jobs and affordability. The history of the original “New Deal” teaches us that guaranteeing economic and social security can be part of a political bargain that enables the take-off of green energy technologies.
However, the new “New Deal” has to devise social and economic security arrangements that fit with the green technologies we want to promote, and the insecurities faced today. This calls for imagining a new suite of social welfare initiatives that accelerate green transitions and change the political conversation.3 

In discussing, on CBC Mainstreet Nova Scotia, his new book “Falter”, a powerful and sobering call to arms, to save not only our planet but also our humanity itself, Bill McGibbon urges government to address the need to provide employment to those people who lose jobs during the transition to a low carbon emission world.

Some conservative climate principles

In the medium term, the alternate energy industry is expected to increase from the approximately 300,000 Canadians who are currently working in the field.

References

1	(2019, March 27). Dear Conservatives, Climate Change Is The Real Threat, Not A .... Retrieved June 8, 2019, from https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/gerald-kutney/conservatives-climate-change-carbon-tax_a_23696033/
2	(2019, June 12). The Current for June 12, 2019 | CBC Radio - CBC.ca. Retrieved June 12, 2019, from https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-june-12-2019-1.5171049
3	(2019, June 11). Blog | Broadbent Institute. Retrieved June 12, 2019, from https://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/blog

Trump China and Filipino sailors in The Intelligence

IN THE end, President Donald Trump’s tariff threat did what he had hoped: Mexico has pledged to tighten immigration flows. But such weaponisation of tariffs bodes ill for the future. China’s “green Great Wall” of trees—a bid to halt desertification—may be doing more harm than good. And, we meet some of the Filipino sailors who keep the global shipping industry afloat. Runtime: 21 min

Review of policy on climate change in Canada

The latest review of policy on climate change in Canada in advance of the federal election in the fall shows some expansion of details.

Ottawa river

Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer says he believes in man-made climate change, however, his party has yet to present its own carbon reduction plan.

 however, his party has yet to present its own carbon reduction plan.1

CPC on Climate now

The Coalition Avenir Québec has gone against the obstinacy of its supposed ideological cousins to become one of the few conservative governments to both acknowledge climate change science and wholeheartedly engage in a carbon reduction plan for the province.

 Last October, right around the time Jason Kenney and Doug Ford “joined forces” to protest the federal carbon tax, freshly-elected Quebec Premier François Legault was busy endorsing the carbon reduction plan of the previous Liberal government. Kenney called Justin Trudeau’s carbon tax “a failure”; Legault instead appeared on a stage with Trudeau, promising to spread the carbon reduction gospel to Doug Ford. (Spoiler alert: it didn’t work.)2

The Green Party has a comprehensive plan, Mission Possible, to avoid climate catastrophe.

The Green Party has Canada’s only comprehensive plan to avoid climate catastrophe2

LPC and Green Policy

Young people across Canada have launched the Our Time campaign (our-time.ca) and are organizing around a Green New Deal.

Earlier this month, young people across Canada launched the Our Time campaign (our-time.ca) and are organizing around a Green New Deal that will ensure Indigenous rights, migrant justice, good work for all and a livable climate for our generation and future generations. Status quo politics are allowing far-right xenophobic political movements to spread. Almost all political parties are still championing fossil fuel expansion, ignoring its effects on water, the climate and Indigenous communities. The 2019 federal election will be our time to push all political parties to be forward-thinking and courageous to fight for a livable future.3 

The NDP plan to fight climate change, Power to Change, will create at least 300,000 good jobs in communities across the country, and provide training and supports for workers as our economy changes.

 The NDP plan to fight climate change, Power to Change, will create at least 300,000 good jobs in communities across the country, and provide training and supports for workers as our economy changes. We’ll improve the buildings where we live, go to work, and go to school with retrofits that reduce energy demand – while cutting down energy bills for families. We’ll make it easier to own a zero-emission vehicle, and make sure those cars are made in Canada. We’ll move to 100% electric transit, help communities work towards free transit, and improve access to affordable bus and rail service in rural and remote communities. And instead of giving billions in subsidies to huge oil and gas companies, we’ll invest in a future where Canadians have good jobs, clean air and water, and can afford to live a good life. And we’ll do it with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis as our full and equal partners.4  

NDP Policy

References

1	(2019, June 7). Quebec shows conservatives how to address climate change - iPolitics. Retrieved June 7, 2019, from https://ipolitics.ca/2019/06/07/quebec-shows-conservatives-how-to-address-climate-change/
2	(n.d.). Mission Possible - Green Party of Canada. Retrieved June 7, 2019, from https://www.greenparty.ca/en/mission-possible
3	(2019, April 25). Time for Canada's own green new deal | Voice of the City | Halifax .... Retrieved June 7, 2019, from https://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/time-for-canadas-own-green-new-deal/Content?oid=21533556
4	(n.d.). Power to Change – A New Deal for Climate Action ... - Canada's NDP. Retrieved June 7, 2019, from https://www.ndp.ca/power-to-change

Babbage: Fusing the future

In this week’s Babbage, Alok Jha investigates the organisations and companies trying to crack a technology that could solve all of the world’s energy problems in a stroke—nuclear fusion

Public good and private gain in vehicle standards

An article in The Economist from February of 2019 explores some facts about big oil and climate change.

A crucial blnce

The balance that some business leaders believe must exist between private gain and public good

Polluting capitalism

may be in danger of disruption. The resulting pollution of capitalism may hasten the collapse due to failure to address inequalities.

 Yet amid the clamour is a single, jarring truth. Demand for oil is rising and the energy industry, in America and globally, is planning multi-trillion-dollar investments to satisfy it. No firm embodies this strategy better than ExxonMobil, the giant that rivals admire and green activists love to hate. As our briefing explains, it plans to pump 25% more oil and gas in 2025 than in 2017. If the rest of the industry pursues even modest growth, the consequence for the climate could be disastrous.ExxonMobil shows that the market cannot solve climate change by itself. Muscular government action is needed. Contrary to the fears of many Republicans (and hopes of some Democrats), that need not involve a bloated role for the state.1

 National Public Radio (NPR) has asked What's The Future For Gas-Powered Transportation? 

 Going electric is not just an eco-friendly goal, an ambition that would help fight climate change. It's a business reality, according to industry analysts. But if the general path ahead is widely agreed on, the speed of the change — and the role that combustion vehicles will play during the transition — is far from clear.2

 Merran Smith & Joanna Kyriazis offer an opinion in the National Observer that Canadians will save money and reduce GHG production if Canada maintains the agreement, designed by the Obama administration, and adopted by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, to require auto manufacturers to produce more fuel efficient vehicles.

These standards don’t just cut pollution, they also keep money in the pockets of Canadians by making cars less expensive to fill up. While more fuel-efficient vehicles have a slightly higher sticker price, this can be recouped in a few years, beyond which drivers come out ahead. The International Council on Clean Transportation predicts that the average car built to comply with 2025 standards, for instance, will save about $383 per year on fuel. That same analysis finds that pickup trucks and SUVs built to 2025 standards would see an annual savings of $662. Trump’s rollback would lead to higher fuel bills with higher polluting, less efficient vehicles.
In a recent public opinion survey conducted by Pollara on behalf of Clean Energy Canada, two-thirds of Canadians were supportive of the current vehicle emission standards. They frequently cited cutting pollution, improving public health, improving vehicle efficiency, and spending less on gas as reasons for their support.3 

The local CBC Maritime Noon radio program investigated the economics for Maritimers to choose electric vehicles (EV’s) now.

 June 4, 2019: ... Phone-in on electric cars4

When manufacturing more efficient vehicles, either ICE or EV, produces real public good for Canadians’ fight against the climate emergency, we have to question unregulated private gain by large companies that increase GHG emissions.

References

1	(2019, February 9). The truth about big oil and climate change - The Economist. Retrieved February 18, 2019, from https://www.economist.com/leaders/2019/02/09/the-truth-about-big-oil-and-climate-change
2	(2019, February 16). As More Electric Cars Arrive, What's The Future For Gas-Powered .... Retrieved February 18, 2019, from https://www.npr.org/2019/02/16/694303169/as-more-electric-cars-arrive-whats-the-future-for-gas-powered-engines
3	(2019, May 21). High gas prices? There's a policy for that, and it helps combat climate .... Retrieved June 5, 2019, from https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/05/21/opinion/high-gas-prices-theres-policy-and-it-helps-combat-climate-change
4	(n.d.). Maritime Noon with Bob Murphy | Live Radio | CBC Listen. Retrieved June 5, 2019, from https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-38-maritime-noon