Summer of fire, flood and wind

The summer of 2023 has brought frequent and disastrous climate events that threaten life and property in Canada.

Risk of Water Damage

 

Marsha Lederman, Globe and Mail Staff Columnist, reflects on recent climate events and concludes despair alone is not an option. 

It can feel futile – I get it. But despair alone is not an option. Accompany it with debate, protest, action. Invest and shop ethically (if you can), ride your bike to work (if it’s not too hot), eat more sustainably, argue with that climate-change denier at the family barbecue. The time to swelter in silence is over. (Lederman et al., n.d.)

Brenna Walsh, Senior Energy Coordinator at the Ecology Action Centre, comments:  “Here in Nova Scotia wildfires and floods this summer have destroyed homes, displaced hundreds of people and taken lives, and has brought the challenges of living in a climate emergency to light for many people,” 

“In Nova Scotia, we have one of the dirtiest grids in the country – 43 per cent of emissions come from electricity, compared to the national average of nine per cent. Although progress has been made in committing to get off coal by 2030, we have a long way to go to get to net zero for the electricity grid, but it is possible.” 

The Clean Electricity Regulation helps ensure that Nova Scotia is taking advantage of wind and solar – now the cheapest form of electricity ever – and disincentivizes turning on expensive fossil fuel assets during times of peak demand. Bringing projects like the Atlantic Loop online support this by allowing trade with Quebec, providing access to their hydro power when Nova Scotia would have to turn on polluting peaker plants and allowing Nova Scotia to sell wind and solar back when it has extra. This can help drive cost effective decarbonization of our grid, reduce rate increases and protect Nova Scotians from the volatile prices of fossil fuels. (Clean Electricity Regulation Important to Green Nova Scotia’s Grid, 2023)

Electrify for the future in Nova Scotia

Stephen Thomas, Clean Energy Manager, David Suzuki Foundation, said “The wildfires, floods and droughts we’re seeing across Canada this year are unprecedented in their costs to our people, land and economy. They are an urgent reminder that we need to move away from the root cause of this climate crisis: fossil fuels.

“We know there is broad support for a zero-emissions future in Canada. More than 40,000 people signed petitions calling for the end to fossil fuels, and for renewable power for all.

“It’s not just an environmental argument to move away from fossil fuels. Wind and solar are the cheapest forms of electricity in history, while fossil fuel prices are increasingly volatile and costly. We will all see the benefits on our energy bills of a grid powered by renewables.”(Thomas, n.d.)

The clean electricity regulations of the Government of Canada set a direction for electricity generation and distribution that will reduce the GHG emissions of fossil fuel generation, create opportunities for the electrical transition workforce, and mitigate future effects of climate on floods, fires, and wind.

References

Clean Electricity Regulation important to green Nova Scotia’s grid. (2023, August 10). Ecology Action Centre. Retrieved August 11, 2023, from https://ecologyaction.ca/resources-media/press-releases/clean-electricity-regulation-important-green-nova-scotias-grid 

Lederman, M., Picard, A., & McLister, R. (n.d.). Opinion: This summer of our climate discontent should drive us to action. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved July 21, 2023, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-this-summer-of-our-climate-discontent-should-drive-us-to-action/?utm_medium=Referrer:+Social+Network+/+Media&utm_campaign=Shared+Web+Article+Links 

Thomas, S. (n.d.). David Suzuki Foundation comments on clean electricity regulations. David Suzuki Foundation: Home. Retrieved August 11, 2023, from https://davidsuzuki.org/press/david-suzuki-foundation-comments-on-clean-electricity-regulations/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=tweet-link&utm_campaign=cleanElectricity-governmentDraftCleanElectricityRegulationsAnnouncement-10aug2023  

Opportunity or Imperative to Change

Cloe Logan, writing for the National Observer, analyses a new report assessing climate risks across Nova Scotia from the provincial Department of Environment and Climate Change, entitled, Weathering What’s Ahead: Climate Change Risk and Nova Scotia’s Well-being. 

Will Balser, coastal adaptation co-ordinator at Ecology Action Centre in Halifax, notes that there are some important risks acknowledged in the report. He stresses the important next step of seeing how the province plans to address those risks.

Timothy Halman, minister of environment and climate change, said the report shows the vulnerability of the area, setting the groundwork for action. “Together, we have an opportunity to make positive change and work to protect each other and all that we value,"

Will Balser said the minister’s sentiment should go further. “I see it as if he's talking about an opportunity to make a positive gain. Rather, I see it as more of an imperative to change, rather than just an opportunity,” he said. (Logan & Ottenhof, 2022)

Opportunity or Imperative

The report identifies top climate concerns for Nova Scotia.

Top Climate Concerns NS

The province’s climate plan, expected on Dec 7 2022, needs to clarify the already stated objectives:

Clarify Objectives

The province needs to

The report notes that “using oil, coal, and natural gas to heat homes, generate electricity, and fuel vehicles” contributes to climate change and will worsen climate impacts. As of now, over half of the electricity generation in Nova Scotia comes from coal. (Logan & Ottenhof, 2022)

Electricity needs in Canada

The Department of Environment and Climate Change has produced this report as a resource for all levels of government to set priorities, business to alter practices and plans, and people to use in conversations that will direct our collaboration with the measures necessary to weather what is ahead.

References

Logan, C., & Ottenhof, L. (2022, December 5). Sea levels in Nova Scotia set to rise by a metre this century. National Observer. Retrieved December 6, 2022, from https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/12/05/news/sea-levels-nova-scotia-rise-metre-century 

Skilled Employment to Meet Net Zero Goals

 Research by the International Energy Agency and action to train thousands of energy efficiency experts in Canada indicate commitment to mitigation of the effects of the climate emergency.

Solar electrical skills needed

 

Emma Grane, energy reporter for the Globe and Mail, writes about a new report from the International Energy Agency that declares investment in any new oil and gas developments must stop immediately, electricity should be 90 per cent renewable by 2050 and governments must “close the gap between rhetoric and action” if the world is to meet its goal of net-zero emissions and limit the worst impacts of climate change.

 

It recommends no investment in new fossil fuel supply projects or coal plants without carbon-reduction technology, starting today. By 2030, it says, solar and wind should be scaling up at four times the speed they did in 2020, and by 2035 there should be no sales of new internal-combustion-engine passenger cars. Reaching net-zero will require a huge decline in the use of fossil fuels, falling from almost four-fifths of total energy supply today to slightly more than one-fifth by 2050, it says. Those that remain in play in 2050 should only be used where the carbon is part of the product (such as plastics), in facilities fitted with carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) and in sectors in which low-emissions technology options are scarce.1

The International Energy Agency recommends no investment in new fossil fuel supply projects or coal plants without carbon-reduction technology, starting today.

 

Benjamin Storrow, E&E News, published by Scientific American on May 18, 2021, reports that Net-Zero Emissions by 2050 are possible according to a landmark report from the International Energy Agency that outlines the steps needed to overhaul energy systems to meet global warming goals. Net Zero by 2050 is a roadmap for the Global Energy Sector.

 IEA’s findings are significant on several levels. Net-zero road maps are traditionally the provenance of academics, International Panel on Climate Change modelers and green-hued think tanks. The IEA, an agency established in response to the oil crisis of 1973 and 1974, has long been pilloried by greens for failing to accurately capture the growth of renewables and for a hesitant embrace of the energy transition. In that sense, today’s report represents an endorsement from the energy establishment, giving industry credence to the idea it is possible to essentially eliminate emissions from the world’s energy system in the next three decades. “IEA analysis has been used to prop up the fossil fuel system,” said Kingsmill Bond, an energy strategist at Carbon Tracker, a London-based think tank that studies the financial impact of climate change. “The fact the IEA specifically has come out with this analysis suggesting that change is possible is extremely significant.”2

The IEA examines the full spectrum of energy issues including oil, gas and coal supply and demand, renewable energy technologies, electricity markets, energy efficiency, access to energy, demand side management and much more.

 

This special report is the world’s first comprehensive study of how to transition to a net zero energy system by 2050 while ensuring stable and affordable energy supplies, providing universal energy access, and enabling robust economic growth. It sets out a cost-effective and economically productive pathway, resulting in a clean, dynamic and resilient energy economy dominated by renewables like solar and wind instead of fossil fuels. The report also examines key uncertainties, such as the roles of bioenergy, carbon capture and behavioural changes in reaching net zero.3

Through its work, the IEA advocates policies that will enhance the reliability, affordability and sustainability of energy in its 30 member countries, 8 association countries and beyond.

Electrical Generation Changes

 

The Canadian Press reports that Ottawa is looking for 2,000 new energy auditors to get a home retrofit program going that promises to provide homeowners up to $5K in grants to make upgrades that curb energy use.

 

"We need to train more because I think very soon we will be announcing an ambitious greener homes initiative and it is going to affect thousands of Canadians," O'Regan said. "And we know that energy advisers are going to be in demand. Recruiting up to 2,000 more of them right across the country is a very good investment for what's coming down the pipe on the greener homes announcements." All buildings in Canada, including homes, private businesses and public buildings, contribute almost one-fifth of the country's total greenhouse gas emissions each year, largely from the fuels used for heating and electricity.4

Efficiency Canada joined Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at an announcement of a $10 million investment in training for new energy advisors. Corey Diamond, the executive director of Efficiency Canada, the national voice for an energy efficient economy, based at Carleton University. Efficiency Canada advocates for policies that will help Canada maximize the benefits of energy efficiency to support a sustainable environment, a productive economy and a just and equitable society.

 

Corey Diamond, executive director of Efficiency Canada, the national voice for an energy efficient economy, based at Carleton University, tells a story about Shawna Henderson. Shawna is the founder and CEO of the training company Blue House Energy in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is a veteran in the energy efficiency space, having worked in the industry since 1991. In 2001, as a single mother, she began training people in energy efficiency and related construction fields, driving herself and her kids around her home province talking to anyone that would listen about the benefits of saving energy. She eventually decided to take her know-how online and launched Blue House Energy’s education platform in 2012. She is known across the country now as an expert energy advisor, passing her knowledge down to the next generation of energy advisors with a staff of 9.5

Investment and employment associated with the effort to achieve a Net Zero Economy are turning to energy efficient buildings and a large increase in the role of solar and wind resources in the generation of electricity. These trends point to areas of skilled employment in the next few decades.

 

References

1	(2021, May 18). Planet's pathway to net-zero means no new oil and gas spending .... Retrieved May 18, 2021, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-pathway-to-net-zero-means-no-new-oil-and-gas-developments-iea-report/
2	(2021, May 18). Net-Zero Emissions by 2050 Are Possible, Landmark Report Says .... Retrieved May 19, 2021, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/net-zero-emissions-by-2050-are-possible-landmark-report-says/
3	(2021, May 18). Net Zero by 2050 – Analysis - IEA. Retrieved May 19, 2021, from https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050
4	(2021, May 17). Ottawa looking for 2,000 new energy auditors to get home retrofit .... Retrieved May 19, 2021, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/energy-auditors-1.6029660
5	(2021, May 17). Efficiency Canada joins Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at .... Retrieved May 19, 2021, from https://www.efficiencycanada.org/efficiency-canada-joins-prime-minister-justin-trudeau-at-announcement-of-a-10-million-investment-in-training-for-new-energy-advisors/

 

Getting Involved in change after Covid19

One of the themes running through the YouTube video Designing and Constructing a TRUE Net Zero City. (https://youtu.be/ap3NCou1rSc ) is that the current Covid-19 crisis may be the pause before the opportunity to make significant changes in how we use and share resources on our planet.

Trends to act upon

The Economist reports that rich countries are trying radical economic policies to counter Covid-19. The Economist article comments that history suggests that the effects will be permanent.

 The vast majority of economists support these measures. Nominally they are temporary, designed to hold the economy in an induced coma until the pandemic passes, at which point the world is supposed to revert to the status quo ante. But history suggests that a return to pre-covid days is unlikely. Two lessons stand out. The first is that governmental control over the economy takes a large step up during periods of crisis—and in particular war. The second is that the forces encouraging governments to retain and expand economic control are stronger than the forces encouraging them to relinquish it, meaning that a “temporary” expansion of state power tends to become permanent.1

Joseph Zeballos-Roig writes that Spain is moving to permanently establish universal basic income in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

https://i.insider.com/5e8b4b8ac0232045ff29f7f5?width=1200&format=jpeg&auto=webp

 Nadia Calviño, the country's minister for economic affairs, told the Spanish broadcaster La Sexta on Sunday evening that the government was planning to introduce the cash handouts as part of a barrage of policies meant to help people get back on their feet.
She said enacting basic income was "mostly aimed at families, but differentiating between their circumstances."
Calviño didn't offer a specific date as to when basic income could be rolled out in the country. But she said the government hoped it would become "a permanent instrument."
"We're going to do it as soon as possible," she said. "So it can be useful, not just for this extraordinary situation, and that it remains forever."2

In the publication Climate Change and Cities urban planners have done an assessment report of the Urban Climate Change Research Network. Urban planning and urban design have a critical role to play in the global response to climate change. Actions that simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and build resilience to climate risks should be prioritized at all urban scales – metropolitan region, city, district/neighborhood, block, and building.

Looking for LEED design

This needs to be done in ways that are responsive to and appropriate for local conditions.

 Urban planners and urban designers have a portfolio of climate change strategies that guide decisions on urban form and function:
 • Urban waste heat and GHG emissions from infrastructure – including buildings, transportation, and industry – can be reduced through improvements in the efficiency of urban systems.
 • Modifying the form and layout of buildings and urban districts can provide cooling and ventilation that reduces energy use and allow citizens to cope with higher temperatures and more intense runoff.
 • Selecting low heat capacity construction materials and reflective coatings can improve building performance by managing heat exchange at the surface.
 • Increasing the vegetative cover in a city can simultaneously lower outdoor temperatures, building cooling demand, runoff, and pollution, while sequestering carbon...3

SWAGR (Solidarity with Alton Gas Resistance) is a Halifax-based group of organizers from Council of Canadians, Ecology Action Centre, Solidarity Halifax and the general community. The focus of this group is to support resistance efforts against the Alton Natural Gas Storage Project, and we take our direction from frontline Mi’kmaq communities and other residents of the surrounding area.

Protecting water

In Nova Scotia, Alton Gas has a hugely destructive plan to create salt caverns in which to store natural gas, by dumping the equivalent of 3,000 tons of hard salt into the Shubenacadie river everyday. This massive 50 year project would seriously harm the river ecosystem and put the health, livelihoods and rights of the Mi’kmaq people at risk. It is also in contravention of the Fisheries Act, which prohibits the deposit of “deleterious substances” into water frequented by fish.

 Since September 2016, Mi’kmaq water protectors have been asserting their rights under the Peace and Friendship treaties by building infrastructure (the Treaty Truck House and then the Treaty Camp) on Shubenacadie River. For over 2 years, they have permanently occupied this site, effectively preventing the company from breaking the provincial, federal and treaty laws.
Now, in a surprise move, instead of opposing the Alton Gas project for not complying with federal regulations, the Federal government is looking to make completely new rules, just for Alton Gas, so that the project can go forward. This proves what Water Protectors have been asserting since last November: the current plan is not compliant with the Fisheries Act.
Article 10 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) clearly states “Indigenous peoples shall not be forcibly removed from their land or territories.” Any removal of Mi’kmaq people will directly violate UNDRIP along with the Trudeau government’s promise to fully implement the Declaration.4

Aquaponics Farmers that add fish to their vegetable mix say they're combining the benefits of an ecosystem with the resource-efficiency of an water-based operation.

 “Even though [aquaponic farmers] have been operating in the U.S. for more than 30 years, we don’t have a good count,” Cufone says. That applies both to commercial operations such as Hasey’s that sell to regional supermarkets and also to backyard, or “recreational,” farms like the one Aney would like to set up. The latter are especially difficult to track. RFC wants to see aquaculture acknowledged as a positive addition to American agriculture and thereby boost its lobbying power. Haney, an RFC member, calls aquaponics, “the answer” to generating year-round income for farmers constrained by the seasons.5

These trends reported in the media today may suggest several ways to get involved now in projects in Nova Scotia that are closely related to the outcomes of the work of the Venus Project and Resource Based Economy described in the video.

References

1	(2020, March 26). Building up the pillars of state - Rich countries try radical .... Retrieved April 7, 2020, from https://www.economist.com/briefing/2020/03/26/rich-countries-try-radical-economic-policies-to-counter-covid-19
2	(2020, April 7). Spain is moving to permanently establish universal basic .... Retrieved April 7, 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/spain-universal-basic-income-coronavirus-yang-ubi-permanent-first-europe-2020-4
3	(n.d.). Urban Planning and Urban Design - Urban Climate Change .... Retrieved April 7, 2020, from http://uccrn.org/files/2019/09/ARC3.2-PDF-Chapter-5-Urban-Planning-and-Design-wecompress.com_.pdf
4	(n.d.). Stop Alton Gas – for our river, water, air, and climate. Retrieved April 7, 2020, from https://stopaltongas.wordpress.com/
5	(2017, August 30). Aquaponics Farmers Band Together to Set Their Industry Apart. Retrieved April 7, 2020, from https://civileats.com/2017/08/30/the-effort-to-keep-aquaponic-farming-afloat/

Scotland Aquinas and Virtue in Climate Change Action

Sr Margaret Atkins, a member of the Augustinian community at Boarbank Hall, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, writes about virtue in considering the ethics of global warming.

Virtue and climate change

Thomas Acquinas Cardinal Virtues	Margaret Atkins OSA Related virtues	Connection to Climate Change
temperantia	moderation, frugality and abstinence.	moderate use of material goods to include the consumption of energy
justice	generosity, compassion, respectfulness, peaceableness and humility.	Effect of GHG gas production by wealthy nations on the large populations of the poor nations
prudentia, or practical wisdom	attentiveness, good judgement, studiousness, thoughtfulness, creativity, independence of thought and honesty	an effort to understand the basic issues of climate change
Courage (fortitude)	determination, hopefulness, industriousness and patience	Promote virtuous approach to climate change in conflict with policy that puts profit before people.

She says that focusing on virtues rather than on goals requires a general grasp of and alertness to key issues, but not detailed expert knowledge. Moreover, as the virtues are important for their own sake, nothing is lost if the experts turn out to be wrong. if we concentrate on moving towards a simpler lifestyle, we will focus on what is appropriate for us (a 'decent sufficiency') rather than on an abstract notion of global justice. Therefore we do not need to be anxious about the detailed distant consequences of our actions; nor, conversely, can we see the way we live as unimportant.

 To possess a virtue is to have your mind and emotions ordered and educated so that you are easily able to act in a good and reasonable way.  For this, two further things are also needed. The first is a serious and clear sense of what the virtue in question involves…to be able to think about the Christian life primarily in terms of virtues rather than overall consequences depends upon an unanxious trust that if you yourself act well, the rest can be left in the hands of Providence.1

The legacy of Scottish immigration to Canada exists today in education, engineering, finance, and religious guidance that is in harmony with the cardinal virtues. In terms of achieving climate change mitigation goals, Scotland is forecast to reach 100% renewables in 2020. Sophie Vorrath reports that the Scottish government has set itself a legally-binding target to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045, five years ahead of the UK, and leagues ahead of countries like Canada and Australia.

 The BBC points out, Scotland also doesn’t rely on international credits or any other sort of tricky accounting to disappear emissions. All told, this will provide great inspiration for COP26, which is being billed as one of the most important international climate conferences since Paris in 2015.2

Virtue and inspiration are part of Scotland’s climate action.

 Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions only account for 10% of the UK's emissions,[1] in 2003 when figures were published. 37% of Scottish emissions are in energy supply and 17% in transport. Between 1990 and 2007, Scottish net emissions have reduced by 18.7%.[2] The industrial processes sector had the largest decrease, of 72% with a reduction of 48% in the public sector trailing closely behind.3

Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser report some CO₂ and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in a contribution to Our World in Data and the SDG-Tracker, collaborative efforts between researchers at the University of Oxford, who are the scientific editors of the website content; and the non-profit organization Global Change Data Lab.

Our World in Data

However, Asia’s rapid rise in emissions has only occurred in very recent decades. The annual share of global CO2 emissions in 2017, puts Canada and the UK in approximately the same contribution range. Scotland, at 10% of UK emissions, is a country with global emissions one tenth that of Canada.

Many of the world’s largest emitters today are in Asia. This too has been a by-product of massive improvements in living standards: since 1950 life expectancy in Asia has increased from 41 to 74 years; it has seen a dramatic fall in extreme poverty; and for the first time most of its population received formal education.

Some of the persuasion directed at the largest emitters to change will come from countries like Scotland not as “virtue signalling” but as virtuous action. Canada has always “punched above its weight” in leading other nations. Now is the time to join Scotland in working to achieve GHG emission and “net zero” targets.

References

1	(2008, January 28). Passenger pigeons and polar bears: the ethics of global .... Retrieved January 28, 2020, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080128_1.htm
2	(2020, January 23). Scotland to reach 100% renewables in time to host 2020 .... Retrieved February 2, 2020, from https://reneweconomy.com.au/scotland-to-reach-100-renewables-in-time-to-host-2020-climate-summit-60854/
3	(n.d.). Climate change in Scotland - Wikipedia. Retrieved February 2, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_in_Scotland
4	(n.d.). CO₂ and Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Our World in Data. Retrieved February 2, 2020, from https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions