Greenspiration News & Events: Duty to Disobey

Tue Feb 17 16:48:41 UTC 2026

INTERNATIONAL

Point of no return: a hellish ‘hothouse Earth’ getting closer, scientists say

Continued global heating could set irreversible course by triggering climate tipping points, but most people unaware

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/11/point-of-no-return-hothouse-earth-global-heating-climate-tipping-points

Climate Newsletter Zero Carbon with Chris Hatch

Stories include China's emission reduction, Canada's emission targets, renewables, coal, heat/fire/rain storms, Trump's climate wrecking ball and more.

https://mailchi.mp/nationalobserver/chinas-emissions-surprise

Dr. Wolff explains the secret ingredient to economic fascism - 74 min. video

First, Dr. Wolff explains how extractive economies concentrate wealth, fuel authoritarianism, and lock societies into destructive systems that benefit the ultra-rich while leaving working people behind. He then examines questions about the future of AI—can an economy still survive when millions are displaced from work? Who benefits and who pays the price?

https://therealnews.com/dr-wolff-explains-economic-fascism-trump-venezuela-oil  

Have Human Hunt Clubs Come to America, This Time Wearing Badges and Body Armor?

If this feels uncomfortable to read, that’s good. It should. From Colombia’s death squads to America’s detention camps, this is how societies relearn the cost of calling some lives disposable.

https://hartmannreport.com/p/have-human-hunt-clubs-come-to-america-30f

Why nuclear is the wrong choice - 5 min. video with Mark Jacobson, PhD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2OrJdFFijQ&t=323s

The energy transition is underway – nuclear is not part of it

https://johnmenadue.com/post/2026/02/environment-solar-wind-and-batteries-are-the-future-nuclear-and-fossils-are-so-yesterday/

You Handed Us Over: Ukrainian and Russian socialists judge the Western left

https://redmole.substack.com/p/you-handed-us-over-ukrainian-and

This state’s power prices are plummeting as it nears 100% renewables

South Australia is proving to the world that relying largely on wind and solar energy with battery back-up is incredibly cheap, with electricity prices tumbling by 30 per cent in a year and sometimes going negative

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2514985-this-states-power-prices-are-plummeting-as-it-nears-100-renewables/

Fossil Fuel Billionaires Are Bankrolling the Anti-Trans Movement

The opposition to climate action is using anti-trans rhetoric to build its base.

https://atmos.earth/political-landscapes/fossil-fuel-billionaires-are-bankrolling-the-anti-trans-movement/

CANADA

Canadian solar and wind project costs plummet

Renewables are now most affordable new generation, as costs are halved

https://www.pembina.org/blog/canadian-solar-wind-project-costs-plummet

Elizabeth May: ‘Speechless’ at Carney’s climate betrayal

https://ricochet.media/climate/elizabeth-may-speechless-at-carneys-climate-betrayal/

The questions Canadians should be asking amid hype over LNG projects

What are the risks of these LNG projects? Are they really of national interest?

https://vancouversun.com/opinion/op-ed/opinion-the-questions-canadians-should-be-asking-amid-hype-over-lng-projects/wcm/9b230395-cc61-4c1d-9521-4f7b4406e84d

Petition for Renewables not Oil & Gas Development

Sign and share the parliamentary e-petition for the federal government to prioritize renewable energy not fossil fuel: https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-7114

The new robber barons: A quarter century of wealth concentration in Canada

This new report examines the extreme wealth concentration that has unfolded in Canada over the last quarter-century and sounds the alarm on the urgent need to protect our democracy and sovereignty.

https://www.taxfairness.ca/en/resources/reports/new-robber-barons-quarter-century-wealth-concentration-canada

The numbers don’t lie: The housing crisis is not caused by a supply shortage

Financialization, not demographics, caused the cost of housing to explode

https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/the-numbers-dont-lie-the-housing-crisis-is-not-caused-by-a-supply-shortage/

Don’t Buy a New Hybrid Vehicle

Buying a new hybrid today locks in gasoline use for another decade or more. Buying an EV immediately reduces tailpipe emissions to zero.

https://emergeguelph.ca/dont-buy-a-new-hybrid-vehicle/

Stand for One Canada

Separatists in the west, combined with uncertainty from down south, threaten to permanently fracture our country. Canada is Stronger Together.

https://actionnetwork.org/forms/take-the-pledge-stand-for-one-canada 

Petition to Government of Canada to Stand with Cuba and Uphold International Law

https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-7082

ONTARIO

Lecce’s nuclear spin – and the $3.3 billion detail he forgot to mention

As OPG has admitted in filings with the Ontario Energy Board (OEB), the Darlington nuclear re-build project will run at least 25% over budget and take another six years to fully complete.

https://www.cleanairalliance.org/lecces-nuclear-spin/

Ford government spends its way toward half-trillion-dollar debt

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/02/13/analysis/ontario-q3-financial-outlook

The sun is shining on Nanticoke

Ontario’s Nanticoke Generating Station on Lake Erie was once the world’s largest coal-fired power plant. Now it's got solar panels. But OPG could triple the size of its Nanticoke Solar Station.

https://www.cleanairalliance.org/the-sun-is-shining/

Tooker Tapes Playlist

Short clips with Mel Lastman, Bill McKibbon, Robinhood, and Tooker himself. 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3IwhNn-WrINTQz2fBNayDoBWLW0y59le

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EVENTS

The Changing Climate Course: A Canadian Perspective

Starting February 17 for 8 weeks 

Climate Action for Lifelong Learners (CALL) is thrilled to present an inspiring and accessible climate course with Dr. Martin Bush, a leading expert in climate science and renewable energy. In this engaging series, you’ll learn what’s driving climate change, how it’s affecting Canada, the latest solutions in clean energy, and what we can all do to make a difference. Perfect for anyone curious, concerned, or eager to get informed before Earth Week. $25.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ES1nOd-iRpif6zitB-P1Cg  

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Climate Justice in Court: civil society and climate advocates driving change through the legal system

Tues. Feb. 17, 6 p.m. ET

Saskatchewan is moving ahead with roughly $900 million in coal refurbishments—public dollars that risk becoming stranded assets as grids decarbonize. Coal remains the dirtiest source of electricity generation (even compared to other fossil fuels), and extending it locks in avoidable pollution and harms. Canada’s federal and provincial governments are backtracking on decades’ worth of climate justice policy wins—all in the name of unchecked economic development and deregulation. But Canadians and Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) is challenging the Gov’t of SK over its plans to ramp up coal-fired electricity production, and legal challenges across the country in support of Indigenous land claims are helping to dismantle settler colonialism.

https://cpj.ca/climate-justice-in-court/ 

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Duty to Disobey Illegal Orders & Individual Responsibility — People’s Academy of International Law

Tues. Feb. 17, noon - 3 p.m. ET

This course will analyze international law provisions and jurisprudence that establish the duty to disobey illegal orders; the right to conscientious objection; individual and command responsibility for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, the right to peace, and those that prohibit the defense of following superior orders.

https://iadllaw.org/2026/02/february-17-online-course-13-duty-to-disobey-illegal-orders-individual-responsibility-peoples-academy-of-international-law/ 

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Ethics in Action: A Former Lab Beagle’s Story & Book Talk with Melanie D.G. Kaplan

Tues. Feb. 17, 6 - 8 p.m. ET

CSI, 192 Spadina Ave, Toronto

When Melanie D.G. Kaplan, author of Lab Dog: A Beagle and His Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research, adopted Hammy, a beagle who spent years in a research lab, she never imagined how much he would inspire her. Join us for a special book talk about Hammy’s journey and the ethical questions it raises about animals in science. Melanie will be joined in conversation by Camille Labchuk, Executive Director of Animal Justice. Together, they will explore the ethical questions surrounding animal research and advocacy, drawing on Melanie’s investigative reporting, her experience sharing a life with a former lab dog, and Camille’s long-standing work in animal protection.

https://animaljustice.ca/blog/join-us-for-our-ethics-in-action-event-series-2

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National Day of Action to Close the Loopholes

Tues. Feb. 17

Find an action near you, and/or email and call your MP

A crucial vote on the No More Loopholes Act is right around the corner.

It's time to push MPs to pick a side: Will they continue to funnel unrestricted and unregulated arms to Trump’s illegal wars, ICE’s campaign of terror, and Israel’s ongoing genocide? Or will they listen to the Canadian public and ensure that Canadian military exports are aligned with international law?

https://armsembargonow.ca/nomoreloopholes/

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US health care comes to Canada: What to know and how to fight it

Wed. Feb. 18, noon ET

Drs. David U. Himmelstein and Stephanie Woolhandler are Distinguished Professors of Public Health at the City University of New York’s Hunter College AND co-founders of Physicians for a National Health Program, which advocates for single-payer healthcare in the United States. They join Andrew Longhurst, Senior Health Policy Researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, in a discussion of Alberta’s Bill 11 and the dangers it poses to public health care in Canada. They expose Bill 11’s creation of a private health insurance market for publicly insured services under the Canada Health Act and its encouragement of US investment interests to establish a for-profit health care system in Canada.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2kOxYRVcRzaRnZRHhkoIFA 

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Fueling Sickness: The Hidden Health Costs of Fossil Fuel Pollution

Wed. Feb. 18, 7 - 8 p.m. ET

We all know fossil fuel pollution is bad for the planet, but did you know how toxic it is for our health? Physicians for Social Responsibility’s latest report (collaborative report led by 12 national health organizations) reveals more of that tragic truth: fossil fuel pollution is fueling a nationwide public health emergency that threatens every American, every day, across every stage of life.

https://psr.org/event/livestream-discussion-fueling-sickness/

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North American LNG - A Global Discussion

Wed. Feb 18, 2026 11:00 AM ET

IEEFA is hosting a virtual briefing on their new North America LNG Tracker and the implications of major LNG expansion during a LNG supply glut and softening demand.

https://ieefa.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8kxHl6LiSgeCzvxomUyAXQ

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Nuclear Is Not the Solution: The Folly of Atomic Power in the Age of Climate Change 

Thur. Feb. 19, 7 p.m. ET

The climate crisis has provided new cover for the promotion of nuclear power with the nuclear lobby claiming we already have the technology, ready to be perfected and deployed. But as M. V. Ramana argues in his recent book “Nuclear is Not the Solution” such thinking is not only naïve but dangerous. Beyond the horrific risk of severe accidents and the intractable problem of waste disposal, nuclear energy fails the two key tests for any climate solution: cost and time. More expensive than wind and solar, it is also far slower to bring online. Presentation followed by conversation with author M.V. Ramana.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_26qJqxI_QyirfIFEQOrI1Q#/registration

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Covering Climate Across Beats

Thur. Feb. 19, 1 p.m. ET

Join Covering Climate Now for a live training session on how to make the climate connection across beats. We’ll share practical tips for identifying climate angles in everyday stories, explore examples from newsrooms around the world, and show you how even one sentence can transform your reporting. No science background required, just a willingness to connect the dots!

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ol3jY2PQSJaXd2ZCgg16Dg#/registration

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NDP Leadership 2026: BC Debate

Thur. Feb. 19, 8 p.m. ET

Tune in for the second official debate of the NDP Leadership Race

https://leadership.ndp.ca/bc-debate 

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ICE Out! Minneapolis shows the way forward.  

Thur. Feb. 19, 8 p.m. ET

Hands Off immigrant workers, Venezuela, Cuba, Iran!  Featuring speakers:  Kshama Sawant, former city councilor in Seattle, current socialist candidate for U.S. Congress, and Jeff Mackler, national secretary Socialist Action USA, and a leading member of the United National Anti-war Coalition. Sponsored by Socialist Action-Canada.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89035381405?pwd=5nC12u7bzgaLc6rjsAaCwDJA7ENGDi.1 

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An introduction to Ontario’s butterflies: ID, threats and community science

Thur. Feb. 19, 7 - 8 p.m. ET

Michelle DiLeo, a MNR research scientist, will introduce us to the great diversity of Ontario butterflies and share ID tips based on traits, habitat and seasonal timing. In addition, she will highlight research characterizing threats to butterflies and discuss community science opportunities. Co-hosted by the David Suzuki Foundation.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WTlAOlL7TG-7rnhsPGlBvg#/registration

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Celebrating the revolutionary contributions of scholar Michael Parenti 

Sat. Feb. 21, 9 a.m. Eastern 

Join us for an online event celebrating the life and work of Michael Parenti, a towering figure in Marxist scholarship and activism.  We will discuss Parenti’s profound impact on the study of imperialism, war, propaganda, fascism, and the difficulties of socialist construction, as well as his unwavering commitment to the global class struggle. Organized by International Manifesto Group / Critical Theory Workshop. 

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/celebrating-the-revolutionary-contributions-of-michael-parenti-tickets-1982713482399

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Rally for Cuba

Sun. Feb. 22, 1 - 2 p.m. ET

US Consulate, 361 University Ave, Toronto

Join our rally to stand with Cuba against the cruel US blockade and Trump's oil cut off. End the embargo now!

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Rally for Ukraine

Sun. Feb. 22, 3 - 5 p.m. ET

Nathan Phillips Square, Queen and Bay, Toronto

The heroic Ukrainian people continue to fight through the freezing winter. Cities are under relentless missile and drone attacks. Civilians are left without electricity, without heat, without hot water. Ukraine needs your help NOW. Come out. Stand with Ukraine. Silence is not an option.

https://www.facebook.com/events/s/rally-for-ukraine 

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More Toronto events 

https://showuptoronto.ca/ 

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/ 

Tooker Tapes Archive Project - Youtube Playlist

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3IwhNn-WrINTQz2fBNayDoBWLW0y59le

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

Share this newsletter on social media using this link: http://greenspiration.org/news-events/ 

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