My writings - and those of others.
Valuing our Ravines in Toronto
City Council member Josh Matlow wrote in a recent newsletter
Toronto Moves Forward with Ravine Strategy Implementation Plan
“Toronto’s unique ravine system is one of our greatest and greenest assets. The scale and scope of this urban green space system – over 300 km and 11,000 hectares – makes Toronto the envy of urban areas across the world. In Midtown, we're lucky to have several ravines that offer peaceful escape from our busy lives. That's why I'm pleased that City Council unanimously adopted the Toronto Ravine Strategy implementation plan this week.
Ravines contain 87 per cent of Toronto's environmentally significant areas, as well as forests and wetlands, and significant plant and animal species. Unfortunately, this critical part of our green infrastructure is threatened by invasive species, climate change, and direct impacts from resident use.
This action strategy wouldn't have happened without advocacy from passionate residents in our community and across the city.”
This is good news, To keep it happening, citizen input is required.
About Oil
Justin Worland writes a good occasional newsletter for Time called One-Five Everything Climate and a recent one focuses on the fact that large oil companies are waking up to the fact that the engine that has fueled them for decades may have to address climate change.
He points out both how oil is damaging the environment and at the same time has brought us all the prosperity we value. We blame oil companies for their disinformation and at the same time savour all the benefits they bring us. He quotes Daniel Yergin’s book, The Prize which links both democracy and the rise of capitalism. But Blowout by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow takes a different stance, noting both its importance and its questionable governance. She calls it “the least well governed industry in the history of mankind.” She stresses its political power as historian Timothy Mitchell does in his book, Carbon Demoocracy. He stresses the importance of oil to the economy. He also notices how it can also enforce authoritarian governance as it has in the Middle East.
All recent - and all providing food for thought.
Climate Change - the Facts
When you have to substantiate climate change, it’s good to have updated sources of information. These are some of the ones recently cited by the New York Times as reliable and current:
Skeptical Science lists 197 common myths and provides refutations of them
NASA’s Global Science Page cites many information points and is frequently updated
The Climate Reality Project provides a document with the 12 most common questions that you are likely to here and you can download it here.
If you like podcasts, you can find some brief ones on several topics from MIT here
And here;s a video that includes a few minutes of the arguments with rebuttals.that are entertaining as well as informative.
Moving Ahead
The following statement from the Pembina Institute is a good directive re our climate crisis and the results of our recent election - a minority Liberal government
“The new government will need to lead a national conversation about changes in the global energy system that project a declining oil demand. The impacts of disruptive technologies and decarbonizing global markets are being felt directly in oil-producing provinces like Alberta. Now that the election is over we need to trade polarized rhetoric for a plan that acknowledges the changing role for oil and gas and maps out a realistic future for workers who want meaningful careers during this time of upheaval.
“This is an all-hands-on-deck situation. All sectors — transportation, buildings, and oil and gas — need to do their fair share to reduce emissions. The climate crisis is urgent, and we look forward to working with all parties to ensure Canada’s Paris Agreement targets and the commitment to decarbonize by 2050 are met.”
Why Be Arrested?
George Monbiot has one answer and you can find the whole article here.
This is a partial quote:
“Nowhere on earth is government action matched to the scale of the catastrophes we face. Part of the reason is the remarkably low level of public discussion and information on this crisis. Another is that the political risks of action are higher than the perceived rewards: a balance the protesters want to redress. But perhaps the most important factor is the brute power of the pollutocrats driving this disaster. As the Guardian’s Polluters series shows, the big fossil fuel companies have used political funding, intense lobbying and gross deceptions of the public to overwhelm environmental protections and keep harvesting their massive profits.
Those who confront them have no such power. We cannot buy television channels and newspapers, pour billions into political lobbying or seed dark ads on social media. We have only one strength: our vulnerability. By putting our bodies on the line and risking our liberty, we make this great neglected issue impossible to ignore.”