50 Simple Ways

The Guardian features suggestions from experts for things we can do in our daily lives to improve life for the planet. You can find them here

Small changes - big impact

Graphic: Sergio Peçanha, Washington Post, 2020.

The Washington Poat has an article this morning about peer pressure and how we can influence others in the battle for climate change. You can read about it here.

And another one reminds us of the impact of single use plastics - where a picture is worth a thousand words.

Even single use plastics can be re-used. But try to avoid bringing it home in the first place.

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.