Don Pittis of CBC News reports that Mark Jaccard, energy economist and adviser to world leaders, known in global climate circles as a leading architect of British Columbia's successful climate struggle, wants to tell the world there is hope.
Two effective political actions
He admits that in fossil fuel-producing areas of the world like Australia and Alberta, there are many who will remain impossible to sway.
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it."1
While business can perform a valuable role, with fossil fuels so cheap and easy to use, the economic pressure to act must come from government regulation. Without government rules, the free market would simply continue to use the atmosphere as a free garbage dump for carbon.
That's why the first step of Jaccard's strategy is to put the immediate effort on two areas that mostly affect a country's domestic markets.
Those two areas, energy production and transport — essentially power plants and cars and trucks — are responsible for the majority of most countries' greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, that transition will lay foundations that will make later industrial decarbonization easier.
Jaccard recommends… donating… to a pro-climate group that can identify and support climate-sincere politicians and point a finger at the majority of those who are "faking it."
Because in the long run, getting carbon out of world's atmosphere cannot be completed by a few individuals doing good, it must instead be a project of people using politics to transform regional and national rules about carbon. Jaccard says those regions and countries will then combine to put carbon tariffs on the world's free riders, not a project for 2020.1
It’s since become ‘social media’; a system that colonizes our minds and enriches a handful of ethically challenged developers. Rushkoff says we need to reaffirm that we are social beings and reappropriate technology to support and cultivate what he calls ‘Team Human.'1
Yuval Harari comments that we won’t currently have a narrative.The last century had 3 narratives
Fascist story: struggle between nations
Communist story: struggle among classes
Liberal story: struggle between liberty and tyranny
Understanding the liberal narrative is nuanced. The big heroes of the story were the people. Now people hear big ideas and technology. They are no longer part of the story of the future. The future doesn't need the common person. The future is artificial intelligence, bio-engineering. Can technology empower people to do more interesting work? Humans will require high skills and education. In thirties movement was from farm to tractor factory. Learning the job of factory worker was possible. Transition to engineering software or developing video games will be more difficult. Knowing people better than they know themselves is a future possibility. Looking "under your skin" for bio measurements; heart rate, blood pressure, and brain activity. "Surveillance capitalism" is monitoring what is happening inside your body. It has great economic value. It offer good potential for best and cheapest healthcare. There is great danger for abuse to manipulate and control people. It may provide not only healthcare but guidance in all the decisions we make. I am advised by an algorithm that knows me so well. Yuval Harari comments on money as a fictional story, an entity that only exists in the minds of humans. The story told by bankers to enable people to trade effectively. We trust in the story of the dollar. We trade. We cooperate.
The Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: Led by outstanding performances from its well-matched leads, The Two Popes draws absorbing drama from a pivotal moment in modern organized religion. Writing in the magazine of American Jesuits, John Anderson, a television critic for The Wall Street Journal and a contributor to The New York Times, comments that the movie is a tour-de-force that takes the Catholic Church seriously. Stefano Rebeggiani, an assistant professor of Classics at the University of Southern California, writes in Angelus News that alas, “The Two Popes” delivers a message that seldom rises above the banal and shallow, and it gravely misrepresents both of these protagonists of the most momentous turn of events in the Church’s recent history. The talent of the actors and the visual imagery make this an enjoyable movie experience that raises questions about the Church and its difficulties in our present time, and the humanity of the people called to sit in the chair of St. Peter. (This movie is now available on Netflix)
One of the difficult questions involved in the decisions about the Northern Pulp mill in Pictou County is connected to the ability of the mill to compete given changing demands from Big Tissue.
Nova Scotia softwoods
In response to criticism that U.S. plush toilet paper use is wiping out Canada's forests, Kimberly-Clark said it plans to cut virgin pulp content in half by 2025.
At the same time, spokesman Terry Balluck said, the company will increase “use of low-impact alternative and recycled fibres where credible analysis indicates that they are environmentally and socially preferable to other virgin fibre sources and do not lead to loss of necessary food crops or high conservation value ecosystems.”1
The producers of common household products such as tissue, towel and toilet paper, writing and photo copy paper and under increasing pressure to source the Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) they need from the cheapest and cleanest suppliers.
The beginning of December has been chosen by significant opinion leaders to address us about climate change.
December decisions
Pope Francis calls on COP 25 leaders in Madrid to show political will to safeguard healthy planet.
new commentary on Pope Francis's encyclical
“We must seriously ask ourselves if there is the political will to allocate with honesty, responsibility and courage, more human, financial and technological resources [to the climate crisis],” he said, in the pontifical message, which was welcomed by activists.
“Numerous studies tell us it is still possible to limit global warming. To do this we need a clear, far-sighted and strong political will, set on pursuing a new course that aims at refocusing financial and economic investments toward those areas that truly safeguard the conditions of a life worthy of humanity on a healthy planet for today and tomorrow.” He put particular emphasis on the role of young people, who “show a heightened sensitivity to the complex problems that arise from this emergency. We must not place the burden on the next generations to take on the problems caused by the previous ones.”1
Twenty-six CEOs and civil society leaders in Canada have sent a letter to First Ministers to tell Prime Minister and Premiers “time is now” for implementing a clean economy. Building a low carbon, high performance economy is a vital environmental responsibility. It is also a major economic opportunity for all sectors and regions of the country.
Transition Opportunities
As a diverse group of leaders from business, labour, youth, Indigenous and environmental organizations across Canada, we believe the time for us to capture this economic and environmental opportunity is now.
The evidence and the urgency for seizing this opportunity is all around us. Globally, the transition to a clean economy is estimated to be worth $26 trillion and 65 million new jobs by 2030. This will create opportunities in all sectors. Canada’s cleantech sector can tap into a growing global market set to double in the next five years. And boosting innovation and efficiency in the resource and energy sectors – in which Canada has great strengths – represents a $3.6 trillion opportunity by 2030. Becoming a leader in clean performance and innovation will strengthen our competitiveness, attract capital, generate good jobs, and improve Canadians’ quality of life – as summarized in a new report released today by Smart Prosperity Institute, entitled “8 Reasons for Canada to Transition to a Clean Economy Now”. Canada is well positioned to seize these opportunities. We have a highly skilled work force, strong entrepreneurs and innovators, world-class financial institutions, proven economic strengths in many sectors, and a population that is ready to act for a cleaner, better future. And we have already started. All around us we can see a shift towards emissions-free vehicles, greener energy, cleaner industrial production, and smarter, more efficient buildings.2
The threadbare climate and environment policies of Doug Ford’s Ontario government are insufficient to meet Ontario’s 2030 emission reduction targets and are riddled with errors and omissions, according to the province’s fiscal watchdog.
“Our audit concluded that the emission-reduction estimates in the plan are not based on sound evidence or sufficient detail,” Lysyk said in her 2019 annual report, which was released on Wednesday. Ford’s government moved to scrap the prior Liberal government’s cap and trade program, which was raising almost $2 billion a year, and began dismantling the broader climate action plan it funded within days after forming government following the provincial election held on June 7 last year.3
The expert advice calls us to seize the opportunity to attack the climate emergency with realistic action now!
President Hilda Heine said the Pacific nation of the Marshall Islands had been fighting rising tides even before last week's disaster when powerful swells averaging 5m (16ft) washed across the capital of the Marshall Islands, Majuro.
Sea level rise in Nova Scotia
Political leaders and climate diplomats are meeting in Madrid for two weeks of talks amid a growing sense of crisis. The world's average surface temperature is rising rapidly because human activities release greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2). These gases trap heat in the atmosphere, a bit like the glass roof of a greenhouse. At the meeting, Ms Heine commented: "Water covers much of our land at one or other point of the year as we fight rising tides. As we speak hundreds of people have evacuated their homes after large waves caused the ocean to inundate parts of our capital in Majuro last week." She added: "It's a fight to the death for anyone not prepared to flee. As a nation we refuse to flee. But we also refuse to die."1
Yamide Dagnet Yamide Dagnet, David Waskow, Christina Chan, Joe Thwaites, Kelly Levin and Nathan Cogswell report on the priorities at COP25 that will provide some hope for situations like that in the Marshall Islands. The world must continue to build momentum ahead of 2020 so that all countries offer more ambitious national climate commitments next year. Spain and Chile have demonstrated a “can-do” approach to the climate challenge that should inspire the world and shape what is accomplished at COP25.
Here are four key tasks for countries at COP25: 1. Step up ambition.
COP25 will be a moment to highlight those who are clearly ready to enhance their commitments and shine a spotlight on what’s needed from others next year.
2. Make progress on outstanding rules. Parties will also discuss the scope and amount of proceeds from carbon trading that will be set aside to assist vulnerable developing countries to help them adapt to a changing climate. Agreeing to weak or bad rules to meet an artificial deadline could do more damage in undermining climate ambition than delaying the rules another year.
3. Assess Loss and Damage. Parties will no doubt pay particular attention to how the WIM has, over the past six years, enhanced action and support for averting, reducing and addressing loss and damage associated with the impacts of climate change — and what can be done to strengthen this particular function of the WIM, (Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage) including through the possible establishment of a taskforce on loss and damage finance.
4. Advance finance and capacity-building. Developing countries — particularly those most vulnerable to climate change — cannot step up climate action without financial support from developed ones. So far, 28 countries have confirmed $9.7 billion in pledges to the Green Climate Fund’s replenishment; 12 of those countries have at least doubled their contributions compared to 2014. This is a positive step, but many more countries should contribute, including Australia, the United States and wealthy oil-producing states.2
Climate Analytics is a non-profit climate science and policy institute based in Berlin, Germany, with offices in New York, USA, Lomé, Togo and Perth, Australia, which brings together interdisciplinary expertise in the scientific and policy aspects of climate change. Climate Analytics aims to synthesise and advance scientific knowledge in the area of climate, and by linking scientific and policy analysis provide state-of-the-art solutions to global and national climate change policy challenges. There is no single, agreed framework on what is a fair contribution to global efforts. Assessing what is fair depends on the viewpoint and interests of governments.
Each category puts an emphasis on one particular aspect of effort-sharing and can therefore result in (very) different outcomes from the other categories: Responsibility: emissions reductions below a reference are determined by the level of a country’s historical emissions. This was first proposed by Brazil in the Kyoto Protocol negotiations (UNFCCC, 1997)
Capability/Need: emissions reductions below a reference are determined by a country’s level of economic capability, often measured by GDP/capita or the Human Development Index.
Equality: emissions per capita converge to, or immediately reach, the same level for all countries, e.g. (Chakravarty et al., 2009; GCI, 2005)
Equal cumulative per capita emissions: emissions need to be reduced so that cumulative emissions per capita reach the same level, e.g. (Pan, Teng, & Wang, 2013; WBGU, 2009)
Responsibility/capability/need: a range of studies have explicitly used responsibility and capability as the basis for distributing emissions reductions e.g. (Paul Baer, Athanasiou, Kartha, & Kemp-Benedict, 2009; Winkler, Jayaraman, et al., 2011)
Capability/cost: a range of studies use equal costs or welfare loss per GDP as a basis. This is essentially a combination of mitigation potential and capability.
Staged: a suite of studies have proposed or have analysed approaches where countries take differentiated commitments in various stages. Categorisation to a stage and the respective commitments are determined by indicators using many equity principles, e.g.(Michel G J den Elzen & Meinshausen, 2005; Höhne, Gardiner, Gilbert, Hagemann, & Moltmann, 2008).3
Many consider it fair that those who have made a bigger contribution to the problem - or have a higher capability to act - do more.
Framework on what is a fair contribution
Others argue that purely economic metrics should be applied with emission reductions made where they are cheapest.
Canada needs more contribution
The CBC reports that more than 130 people — many of whom were former oil and gas workers — attended a full-day conference organized by the GoldMind Project focused on how to enter the renewable energy industry. Oil and gas engineer Bryan Hnatiuk, who was laid off five years ago, was one of them. "I just don't know where the opportunities are, and that's why I'm here today," he said. Solas Energy Consulting managing director Paula McGarrigle made the jump from oil and gas to renewables two decades ago, first helping Suncor, then Shell transition to some green projects.
McGarrigle said renewables are a smaller sector than oil and gas, and highly competitive. But also, for those looking to leave oil and gas, the skills are highly transferrable."It still has land acquisition, commercial contracts, stakeholder consultations … all of those key developments are the same," she said.The biggest difference, she said, is that the industry is leaner and has a quicker turnaround — so workers often find themselves working on multiple solar or wind projects across multiple jurisdictions.If you're looking for work in Alberta, you're not alone — so here's some helpAlison Pulvernacher, GoldMind's vice president and one of the cofounders, said the organization was started as oil and gas workers were contending with whether or not the industry would rebound after the downturn a few years ago [4]
Canadian technical expertise developed in the oil and gas industries may be an excellent way for this country to assist developing countries and large emitting countries in taking action to reduce GHG emissions and engineer mitigation projects where damage is already occurring.
