Greenspiration News & Events: world breaches 1.5 C warming limit

Mon Feb 12 10:23:07 EST 2024

World's first year-long breach of key 1.5C warming limit

"Look what's happened this year with only 1.5C - we've seen floods, we've seen droughts, we've seen heatwaves and wildfires all over the world."

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68110310

World temperatures go a full year above 1.5 C warming limit

Hottest January on record just passed

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/copernicus-climate-report-january-1.7108644

Joe Biden just did the rarest thing in US politics: he stood up to the oil industry - by Bill McKibben

Gas is essentially methane which is 80 times more powerful than CO2 at trapping heat and contributing to global warming. The Biden administration suspended new permits for gas terminals. Can we see more of this kind of backbone?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/feb/07/joe-biden-big-oil-lng-permits

Parisians Vote for Higher Parking Fees for SUVs

Voters in Paris approved an increase in parking fees for SUVs in a referendum on February 4. Vehicles weighing over 1.6 metric tons will have hourly parking fees tripled as the city seeks to become a more bikeable and pedestrian-friendly. Non-residents parking in central Paris could pay 225 euros (about US $243) for parking for 6 hours; by comparison, cars under 1.6 metric tons pay about 6 euros per hour, totalling US $75 for a 6-hour park.

https://www.ecowatch.com/paris-suv-parking-fee-vote.html

Fossil Fuel Advertising Gets Its Tobacco Moment

Canadian doctors seem to have touched a raw nerve this week with their support for a private member’s bill calling for a ban on fossil fuel advertising. 

We should all be lining up to thank MP Charlie Angus (NDP, Timmins-James Bay) and the small but mighty Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) for what will likely be the most important public health intervention many of us will receive this year.
https://energymixweekender.substack.com/p/fossil-fuel-advertising-gets-its?r=84z07

Poilievre’s ‘Burn, baby, burn’ climate plan is emboldening oil lobby

Oil executives say they are waiting to see the election results before investing in pollution-cutting measures. Poilievre opposes everything the current federal government is doing on climate change.

https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/poilievre-s-burn-baby-burn-climate-plan-is-emboldening-oil-lobby/article_51ef1000-34eb-530f-b8b0-08e0d45e4208.html

Ontario Power Generations' Nuclear Power Play

Plans for the #Pickering rebuild are part of a larger #nuclear expansion strategy pursued by #OPG and the province that will likely cost over $100 B! This could constitute the largest nuclear construction program in the Americas or Europe. None of these plans are subject to any external review.

https://marksw.blog.yorku.ca/2024/02/03/ontario-power-generations-nuclear-power-play/

The Ford government’s decision on nuclear will set Ontario back 30 years

Our politicians keep subsidizing old technologies and industries — and putting opportunity and ideology ahead of basic economics

https://www.tvo.org/article/the-ford-governments-decision-on-nuclear-will-set-ontario-back-30-years

Ten things Canadians need to know about the giant radioactive waste mound coming to the Ottawa River

https://concernedcitizens.net/2024/02/04/ten-things-canadians-need-to-know-about-the-giant-radioactive-waste-mound-coming-to-the-ottawa-river/ 

Nuclear Waste in Canada and what to do with it?!

1 hour podcast

https://open.spotify.com/episode/73NxsQkmjM2cEuEEX07T5H

Respect the moratorium: No mining on Indigenous land without consent

https://you.leadnow.ca/petitions/respect-the-moratorium-no-mining-on-indigenous-land-without-consent

Gaza Strip in maps: How life has changed in three months

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-20415675

NATO-Russia war: Can it really happen?

Will Russia attack NATO in the coming years? This video addresses the recent warnings from military leaders and politicians, and explains why the risk is bigger than many people think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY7GPBSyONU

No journalist has covered the war in Ukraine with greater knowledge, compassion, and insight than Yaroslav Trofimov, the chief foreign affairs correspondent of the Wall Street Journal. 50 min. video.

https://carnegieendowment.org/2024/01/11/our-enemies-will-vanish-book-talk-with-yaroslav-trofimov-event-8213

How Russian officials and their collaborators spirit away Ukraine’s children - a Reuters special report

The removals of Ukraine’s children are supported by a vast machinery to deport, house and re-educate.

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/ukraine-crisis-children/

Poland’s Foreign Minister on the Ukraine Invasion

“If a woman is being raped, it’s not the best time to tell her ‘don’t escalate, or negotiate’ – you have to come to her assistance. And so what happens in the occupied territories, what happens to Ukrainian citizens who are being forcibly Russified, who are being tortured, whose children are getting stolen – these are sacrifices Ukrainians are making, not us. And therefore it is only up to Ukraine to make those judgements.”

https://twitter.com/maria_drutska/status/1749507550972629116

Putin's genocidal myth

The foolishness of fascism, revealed in the Carlson interview

https://snyder.substack.com/p/putins-genocidal-myth

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EVENTS 

Stop Subsidizing Gas!

Mon. Feb. 12, 7 - 8 p.m. ET

The Ford government plans to overrule the Ontario Energy Board and continue subsidizing new gas connections to the tune of $4500/home. We know there’s a better way to meet our energy needs. Join SolarShare to learn how we can take action to stop subsidizing gas in Ontario.

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUod-CsqTMpGtBHPtlhk3OLYH2lQeVAdahx#/registration

Send a letter to gov't here: https://www.cleanairalliance.org/oeb/

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National Phone Zap: Public Pharmacare Now, End Privatization!

Mon. Feb. 12, noon ET

Over three days, February 12-14, health care workers, labour and community activists and patient advocates will be on Parliament Hill for the Canadian Health Coalition's (CHC) lobby days to demand public pharmacare now and an end to privatization in health care. While the CHC is in Ottawa, we will be on the phones amplifying this message to our elected officials. Join us for this important phone zap, at this moment of crisis - but also, potentially, renewal - for Canada's health care system.

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcqfuqpqj8qE9XOzDtCEiob-EGcsUGc5bG3

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The ICJ case and the struggle for human rights in Palestine

Mon. Feb. 12, 6 p.m. ET

Panelists will discuss the legal implications of the International Court of Justice decision on January 26, 2024 in the case brought by South Africa against Israel under the Genocide Convention; along with a discussion with former UN special rapporteur Michael Lynk about his time reporting on the situation of human rights in Palestine.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_l8AYzPk2QgmQKFYO1_9_9w#/registration 

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International Solidarity for Palestine: Lessons from Law and Labour

Tues. Feb. 13, noon ET

Join Labour for Palestine & ACEP-CAPE for Palestine for a webinar featuring South Africa's High Commissioner to Canada Riaz Moe Shaik, former UN Special Rapporteur Professor Michael Lynk, and Dr. Katherine Nastovski on international solidarity, labor activism, and civil society resistance for the Palestinian liberation movement.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_10r0QpUeTyyE80hzmaRFlg

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Climate Crisis and Capitalism: Is System Change the Answer?

Wed. Feb. 14, 5 p.m. ET

Online or at the U of T

With Speaker: Richard Sandbrook, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at U of T and Vice-President of Science for Peace. Sandbrook identifies the impasse in reformist and radical approaches to resolving the climate crisis. He proposes a radical-reformist paradigm that might dissolve the impasse by offering a just, viable and feasible pathway to climate stability.

In person: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/climate-crisis-and-capitalism-is-system-change-the-answer-tickets-789768327327?aff=oddtdtcreator

Online: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYuf-qorjIuHdM7wZgNfYc91sGvbXooHSE-#/registration 

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Home Energy Loan Program 

Wed. Feb. 14, noon - 1 p.m. ET

Join the City of Toronto to learn more about the Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) and incentives for low carbon home retrofits.

https://toronto.webex.com/webappng/sites/toronto/meeting/register/6aadd89739da429c86624a98af5cc623 

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Post-Consumer Management of EV Batteries: Regulatory Regimes in Canada, the US and The European Union

Wed. Feb. 14, 12:30-2 p.m. ET

The rapid electrification of transportation is an essential component of climate change mitigation strategies. However, the growing fleets of EV will eventually translate into large numbers of EV batteries that have reached their end of life. Questions are also being raised about the sustainability of EV battery supply chains, particularly the increased extraction of “critical” minerals.

SEI’s latest study examined the end-of-life EV battery management regimes in Ontario, Quebec, BC, California and the EU. It finds that regulatory frameworks for end-of-life EV batteries are non-existent in North America. In contrast end-of-life EV batteries have been managed under a European Union directive for nearly twenty years. A new, strengthened EU regulation was adopted in June 2023, based on the principle of extended producer responsibility, and materials recovery and recycling. Hosted by The Sustainable Energy Initiative at the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, York U.

https://yorku.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0uduCprz0tGtejCz4s06hnhlAVKNnSUuI_#/registration 

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Fund Our City - Toronto Budget Rally

Wed. Feb. 14, 9 - 10 a.m. ET

Nathan Phillips Square (Queen and Bay), City Hall. Front Doors

Show Council that we support the property tax increase as a necessary investment in housing, transit, community programs, and climate action. Hosted by the Social Planning Council.

https://www.socialplanningtoronto.org/fund_our_city

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19th Annual Strawberry Ceremony for Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans, and Two Spirit People

Wed. Feb. 14, 12:30 pm

Toronto Police Headquarters, 40 College Street

The Strawberry Ceremony is an annual event held to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans, and Two-Spirit people (MMIWGT2S). Come out and show your support in the wake of widespread violence against Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans, and Two-Spirit people across the country, and stand against settler colonial violence around the world. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/1821207888312648

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10168804776140596

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Give it up for the Earth! Faith in action

Feb. 14 - 28

Give it up for the Earth! is a national faith-in-action campaign that raises awareness about the climate crisis and mobilizes people across Canada to reduce personal and household greenhouse gas emissions, engage in acts of solidarity, and collect signatures as a demonstration of support for increased federal climate action.

https://cpj.ca/fortheearth 

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Ruby River & the Movement Against ISDS Attacks on Climate Action

Thur. Feb. 15, 3 p.m. ET

In 2023, the U.S. corporation Ruby River Capital launched a massive $20 billion trade challenge against Quebec’s decision to reject the company’s proposed liquified natural gas (LNG) plant and terminal near the mouth of the St. Lawerence River.  The case is the latest of a string of so-called “investor-state dispute settlement” or “ISDS” trade attacks against landmark environmental victories. Meanwhile, the Canadian Canadian oil company TC Energy is suing the U.S. government for $15,000,000,000 (again, those are billions) following the White House's refusal to authorize construction of the highly unpopular Keystone XL pipeline. These legal cases could threaten some of the most monumental victories for climate and Indigenous rights in decades. And they are only made possible because of terrible, corporate-friendly policies embedded in our trade agreements.

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QD1QAkwaSf-7WSHAXC1jZA#/registration   

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Securing the Future: A Risk-Reduced Approach to Nuclear Fuel Waste Management

Thur. Feb. 15, 7 p.m. ET

Workshopping Northwatch’s response to recurring question the “if not a DGR then what?”, this session will walk through what is needed for the long-term secure management of nuclear fuel waste and what it might look like. This is a participatory session, engaging webinar participants in peer reviewing an alternative to nuclear waste burial. Advance registration is required and there will be homework!

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1-0icDoeQba0jkK0QTsJdQ#/registration 

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How Insurers are Fueling the Climate Crisis - and how we can stop them

Thur. Feb. 15, noon ET

Learn about the role of the insurance industry in the climate crisis.

Understand how the insurance industry can be part of a sustainable change.

Learn about concrete actions you can take to hold these companies accountable.

https://sunriseproject-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZItd--tqD0qGd3ux0DLswDDE0Ao6JfQItl9#/registration

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Antisemitism in the Current Moment: Critical Views from the Jewish Faculty Network

Thur. Feb. 15, noon ET

Join us to hear a panel of Jewish faculty in Canada consider antisemitism in the context of the recent moment in Israel and Palestine. We share a deep commitment to solidarity with Palestine and Palestinians, now and historically. Challenging false allegations of antisemitism, and opposing without compromise any manifestation of actual antisemitism, we follow a long tradition of Jewish ethics which encourages dissent and self-reflection.

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YKNz7wTXTMqhoeGnv1LRBQ#/registration

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How can we accelerate BC's climate movement? Climate Action Provincial Assembly

Thur. Feb. 15, 6:30 p.m. PT

Hear ten of BC’s most effective climate leaders with their five-minutes answers to this question: “What are the three most effective things climate action groups and organizations can do to accelerate progress in BC’s climate movement?”

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17n4sqbUtqhj0vQE5MJYbUQVDp7hK7p-SsDQG4g0GOx8/edit

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Turn your University Plant-Based  

Thur. Feb. 15, noon ET

In this webinar we will share our success stories and help you campaign for plant-based dining in university cafeterias. We will share the results of our training where advocates asked university cafeterias to go vegan for the month of January. Plus, we will introduce two new campaigns to help turn your university plant-based.

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__BCA6Fz7Qiy9fkXi6gxhgg#/registration

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World Social Forum

Feb. 15 - 19

We, the people of the planet, are currently facing an unprecedented environmental crisis coupled with rising inequality, widespread food insecurities, majoritarian violence, after effects of the last pandemic and the threat of a future one, and escalating tensions between major powers. The World Social Forum (WSF), held this year in Nepal, invites people around the globe to take part in-person or online.

https://join.wsforum.net/?q=node/11

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ITHAKA - a film focused on Julian Assange

Feb. 16 - 18

Canadian Voice of Women for Peace is very proud to invite our members to attend an online, on-demand screening of ITHAKA, a film focused on Julian Assange and on the efforts of his father, wife and family to save him. Julian`s final opportunity to appeal his extradition to the US will take place in front of the High Court in London on February 20th and 21st. The film will be available to those of you who pre-register, for viewing anytime between Friday, February 16th and midnight on Sunday, February 18th. To view the film, please contact VOW board member, Charlotte Sheasby-Coleman at c.sheasby at hotmail.com, and please include "ITHAKA" in the subject line.

Andon Mon. Feb. 19, watch the livestream 24 hours leading up to the court hearing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvdTG56Ubdc

Lastly, if you are in Toronto, you're invited to join others in showing support for Julian on Tues. and Wed. Feb. 20 and 21, 11 a.m. across from the US Consulate at 360 University Avenue.

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Collaborative Solutions for a Sustainable Future

Sat.-Sun. Feb. 17-18, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. ET

How is humanity to deal with climate change, plastic pollution, resource depletion, and conflict between nations? Most issues are correctly dealt with by local governments, but when many countries are affected, a forum is needed to work out solutions without coercion. The conference organizers, encourage youth advocacy on global climate policy.  They have been instrumental in establishing the International Criminal Court, the Land Mine Ban Treaty, and the Law of the Sea.  Presently they are promoting a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly where popularly elected representatives would work on issues, rather than just government appointees.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0549/4380/9617/files/WFC2024_Program_Schedule_EST.pdf?v=1706552694

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For the best Canadian climate and energy news, visit and subscribe to the Energy Mix newsletter.

http://theenergymix.com/  

Democracy Now Daily Show - global peace, justice and enviro news

https://www.democracynow.org/  

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Submissions, subscribes, unsubscribes, and comments: mailto:angela at cleanairalliance.org

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