Premier Eby Must Choose: Climate Commitments or Fossil Fuels
From Grand chief Stewart Phillip, Peter McCartney, Seth Klein, Tracey Saxby, Alexandra Woodsworth, Kiki Wood, and Jens Wieting: Of all the pressing issues on David Eby’s desk, the climate emergency, its cascading disasters and their disproportionate impacts on Indigenous Peoples must surely be top-of-mind. Read more
📌 Add Your Voice to End Fracking in BC
From the Wilderness Committee: Sign our petition to the provincial government to protect communities from climate disasters by ending fracking for fossil gas. in British Columbia.
Climate Advocates Greet New BC Cabinet with Anti-Fracking Protest
From Stand.earth: A new alliance of environmental groups called Frack Free BC erected fracking rigs on the front lawn of Government House during the Cabinet swearing-in ceremony. The coalition is calling on Premier Eby to follow through on his climate promise to stop expanding fossil-fuel infrastructure, especially fracking, which is used in 91% of B.C. gas production. Read more
📌 Call on the BC Government to Ban Gas from New Buildings - Call for Organizational Sign-On
From Dogwood: Burning gas to heat homes and buildings represents a major source of B.C.'s carbon emissions. Requiring new buildings to be powered by clean electricity rather than polluting gas should be step one for any government claiming climate leadership. But the B.C. government continues to allow FortisBC to hook up 10,000 new buildings each year to gas lines. We cannot move forward on the urgent task of transitioning to a zero-carbon economy if new buildings continue to make the situation worse.
📌 BC Flood Strategy: Public Engagement Now Open - By January 6 2023
The Province of British Columbia is gathering feedback through an Intentions Paper on a proposed Flood Strategy to manage flood safety risks. The purpose is to re-engage First Nations, Indigenous organizations and local governments to identify policy direction for actions; and to engage the public, industry, business, NGOs, professional associations, and academia on the Intentions Paper. You can fill in the survey, and make a written submission.
241 organizations are now members. Any climate action group with three or more members whose leaders agree with our Members’ Agreement can apply to become a Member
COP15: Trudeau Pledges $800m for Indigenous-Led Conservation Projects
From The Guardian: Canada’s prime minister calls on China, Russia and Brazil to expand protected areas for nature. On Wednesday, the Canadian prime minister committed $800m of funding over seven years for Indigenous-led conservation projects across an area the size of Egypt, starting a “story of reconciliation” with Indigenous peoples. Read more
Interactive: Who Wants What at the COP15 Biodiversity Summit
From Carbon Brief: The conference will see countries aim to agree on a major new set of rules for stemming and reversing nature loss called the “post-2020 global biodiversity framework” (GBF) – often referred to colloquially as the “Paris Agreement for nature”. A draft version of the GBF has a long list of wide-ranging targets, tackling everything from conservation and pollution through to climate mitigation and subsidies considered harmful to nature, such as fossil-fuel subsidies. Read more
Biodiversity Collapse: the Crisis Humanity Can No Longer Ignore
From Climate Action Australia: A breakthrough is desperately needed. In Paris in 2015, a legally binding treaty committed the world’s nations to action to tackle the climate crisis. Something similar is required in Montreal. But a roadmap will not be worth much if governments do not accept that investing to protect the world’s biodiversity is not an optional extra. Disappointingly, no heads of state are expected to attend this week’s summit. Read more
COP15 — Here’s What You Need to Know
From EcoJustice: With large tracts of intact forest and one quarter of the wetlands remaining in the world, Canada is uniquely positioned to lead the way when it comes to protecting biodiversity. The federal government has set ambitious biodiversity goals, but so far, it has a poor track record of reaching them. To ensure Canada hits its targets, we need laws that hold governments to account for meeting them and that respect the rights of Indigenous communities. Read more
The Biodiversity Crisis in Numbers - a Visual Guide
From The Guardian: According to the most recent figures, wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 69% between 1970 and 2018. The abundance of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles is falling fast, as populations of sea lions, sharks, frogs and salmon collapse. Read more
‘We Are at War with Nature’: UN Environment Chief Warns of Biodiversity Apocalypse
From The Guardian: Inger Andersen emphasized that the final text of any agreement must tackle “the five horsemen of the biodiversity apocalypse”: land-use change; overexploitation; pollution; the climate crisis; and the spread of invasive species. Read more
‘We Have to Be Ambitious’: Canada’s Lead Biodiversity Negotiator on What’s Needed at COP15
From The Narwhal: As the lead negotiator, Tara Shannon, who grew up in southern Alberta, will be splitting her time between overseeing the process — making sure Canada has enough negotiators in the right rooms at the right times for instance — and stepping in herself at key moments. She also represents Canada at regional meetings and at meetings involving the heads of delegations. Read more
Seven Ways to Include Nature in Our Economic Choices
From Corporate Knights: Guy Dauncey’s Big Solutions: The COP15 biodiversity conference in Montreal has ambitious goals. Here’s how we could embed these goals into our economies. Read more
😡 Resistance 💚
New Indigenous Camp blocks TM Pipeline Construction in Burnaby
From Protect The Planet/Stop TMX: On Sunday December 4th, a full three years after the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion was originally expected to be completed, a Teepee was erected on an unfinished part of the pipeline route on Coast Salish lands. The Teepee belongs to Ramona Shirt - Cold Lake First Nations. This part of the Brunette River is home to the endangered Nooksack Dace and Western Painted Turtles. The new camp represents the undying resolve of land defenders to protect the planet and stop this pipeline. Read more and here
Memo to Just Stop Oil and Everyone Risking All to Save the Planet: We Need a Rethink
From The Guardian: The battle between climate protesters and the UK government is raging, and most people know who is in the right. The people trying to sound the alarm about the climate crisis are closer to mainstream opinion than those enabling fossil fuel corporations to make almost $3bn a day in profit while the planet burns. Read more
Are Radical Tactics Hurting the Climate Movement? Not According to New Research
From Waging Non-Violence: While radical nonviolent protesters are often ridiculed and hated, there is little evidence that their tactics have negative consequences for the overall movement. Read more
🐦 Build the Climate Twitter-Storm! 🐦
🌱 Climate Solutions 🌱
Electric Trucks Could Reduce Peak Hour Traffic and Climate Emissions
From ABC News, Australia: A report by the Electric Vehicle Council estimated that it costs about $117 to fuel a diesel truck for 300 kilometres, but just $18 for an electric truck. Read more
Canada Can Hit 100% Zero-Emission Electricity by 2035 Without Nuclear, CCS, Report Finds
From The Energy Mix: Canada can achieve 100% zero-emission electricity by 2035 with an electricity system that prioritizes renewable energy, storage, energy efficiency, and interprovincial transmission and avoids the pitfalls of nuclear generation, fossil gas, carbon capture and storage, and carbon offsets, the David Suzuki Foundation concludes in a new modeling study. Read more
Top Selling Auto Brands & Auto Groups For EV Sales Globally
From CleanTechnica: In October, BYD’s record streak continued, scoring more than 200,000 registrations, its 8th record score in a row. And while the Shenzhen automaker is still heavily dependent on its domestic market, it is also sowing the first seeds of its investments in export markets. Read more
The Earthshot Prize: Prince William Announces Five Winners
From BBC: The prize-winners: In Kenya, Mukuru Clean Stoves, a female-founded business. In India, Kaushik Kappagantulu's Greenhouse-in-a-Box helps small-hold farmers protect their crops from extreme weather and pests. In the UK, Notpla is a waste-free way to create natural, bio-degradable plastic from seaweed. In Australia, Indigenous Women of the Great Barrier Reef. In Oman, Project 44.01 to turn carbon dioxide into peridotite, a rock found in abundance in Oman and globally, burying it in disused oil wells. Read more
🌲Forestry Impacts, Science & Politics 🌲
Stop Burning Trees to Make Energy, Say 650 Scientists Before Cop15 Biodiversity Summit
From The Guardian: Bioenergy has “wrongly been deemed ‘carbon neutral’” and many countries are increasingly relying on forest biomass to meet net zero goals, according to the letter, addressed to world leaders including Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen. “The best thing for the climate and biodiversity is to leave forests standing – and biomass energy does the opposite.” Read more
🌎 Climate Impacts, Science & Politics 🌎
Climate Change: Bangladesh is Where it is At
From Rohini Kamal, The Mint: Debates on climate change are often dominated by heated commentary from the West on its impending peril, calling it the biggest threat humanity has ever faced. But here in Bangladesh, climate change is not a threat – it is an ongoing reality, a slow compounding of already familiar struggles. Read more
No New Fossil Fuel Projects? B.C. Premier David Eby’s Looming Test
From The Globe & Mail: It sounded like a firm commitment. “We cannot continue to expand fossil-fuel infrastructure and hit our climate goals,” David Eby said as he outlined his agenda weeks before being sworn in as British Columbia’s new premier. It was late October and Mr. Eby had just become head of B.C.’s ruling New Democratic Party, after fending off a leadership challenge from climate activist Anjali Appadurai. He was trying to appeal to her supporters by promising to take a stand against investments that would make it harder for the province to meet its targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Read more
RBC's Bid to Buy HSBC Canada Reveals a New Front in the Climate Fight
From National Observer: According to the annual Banking on Climate Chaos report, RBC has loaned or invested more than US$201 billion into coal, oil and gas since the Paris Agreement was signed. Over that same period, HSBC financed fossil fuels to the tune of about $130 billion. Both are in the world’s top 15 fossil fuel financiers, at numbers five and 13, respectively. Read more
‘Watershed’ EU Decision Makes Shipping Industry Pay for Emissions
From The Energy Mix: The move to hold the shipping industry accountable for its emissions is a “watershed moment” that proves the EU “can regulate emissions beyond its borders.” Now, negotiators must seize on the expansion of regulatory reach and “apply an equally ambitious carbon market to the aviation industry.” Read more
Coastal GasLink Pipeline Cost to Rise Again, TC Energy Warns
From The Energy Mix: The Calgary-based pipeline company said in an investor presentation that it is facing significant cost pressures in Western Canada related to labour costs and shortages of skilled labour, along with contractor underperformance and disputes. Read more
‘Extractivism’ is Destroying Nature: to Tackle it Cop15 Must Go Beyond Simple Targets
From The Guardian: The mass-scale removal of resources is a key driver of biodiversity loss. Extractivism’s grip on the planet must be broken. Rosemary Collard is an associate professor at Simon Fraser University. Jessica Dempsey is an associate professor and co-director of the Centre for Climate Justice at the University of British Columbia. Read more
Regenerating Australia is the latest film from Damon Gameau, the award-winning director of 2040 and That Sugar Film. We are a community of people taking action to regenerate and heal our planet. The movie is a hypothetical news report from 2030 based on interviews with a diverse group of Australians who were asked about their hopes and dreams for the future. Not available outside Australia and New Zealand, but you can view the trailer here and learn about the larger project here.
📢 Events, Protests and Rallies 📢
All times are PDT Pacific Daylight Time
Every Sunday and Wednesday, 1-2pm - Stop TMX – Stoney Creek Salmon Tours
From Stop TMX: The salmon are running at Stoney Creek!! Come to witness this spectacle while supporting your local frontline and building community. Every Sunday and Wednesday, Protect the Planet offers educational tours highlighting the salmon run. Assemble at our camp, set up on the Burnaby Mountain Urban Trail, under Lougheed bridge. Approach from East Lake. Read more
Sunday December 11, 11am – 3pm The Burnaby Mountain Festive Hug
From ProtectThePlanet/StopTMX: A Festive Hug brings more love to Burnaby Mountain—rain, shine or snow! Creating earth friendly crafts, we will bring wonder and beauty to the trees as we stand in unity against the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion project. Community feast, music, speakers, ceremony. Forest Grove Park, Burnaby 200 Soccer Field (8505 Forest Grove Dr). Read more
Tuesday December 13, 3:30pm - We Are All Nature – An Intergenerational Conversation
From DSF: Join us for a free, livestream conversation with youth activists, elders and Indigenous land defenders talking about humanity’s place in the natural world, featuring David Suzuki, Severn Cullis-Suzuki, Lucy Tulugarjuk, Sipi Flamand and friends, from NatureCOP15, Montreal. Join here
Tuesday January 24st and 31st, 10am-Noon - How To Talk To Anyone About Climate Change
From ElderCollege: Conversations about climate change can be challenging. This course will give you the tools you need, derived from experts in values research, storytelling and communications; we will learn how to talk about climate change as if it mattered to everyone. Patricia Lane has been studying effective climate communications since 2012 when she helped to found LeadNow. Online $23.33+GST. Register here.
Thursday January 19 to Feb 16, 1pm-3pm - Climate Action Workshop
From ElderCollege: During this five-session workshop a wide range of solutions to global warming will be discussed. Participants will develop climate action plans for individuals, family and friends, community, and/or policy levels. Expect to meet with people who are curious and caring, who roll up their sleeves to take action to heal our precious planet. $39.05+GST Online Register here
February 7-10 - SUMMIT 2023 A Local Climate Leaders Collaborative
From Climate Caucus: This important annual event brings together local elected leaders from urban and rural communities across Canada to workshop practical local climate solutions. Register here.
Saturday February 25 - United for Old Growth Forests! Declaration, March and Super-Rally
In Victoria, at the Legislature. Details here. To add your organization’s endorsement, click here and scroll down.
👷🏽♀️ Jobs, Opportunities & Grants💰
Clean Electricity Campaign Specialist
From David Suzuki Foundation: The Clean Electricity Campaign Specialist is responsible for organizing, driving and growing the campaign and mobilization elements of DSF’s clean electricity program. This role will coordinate campaign strategies and tactics, identify key campaign moments and rapid response opportunities. Read more
Senior Communications Specialist, Climate & Executive Director Support
From David Suzuki Foundation: You’re an experienced senior communications specialist who is adept at responding quickly to breaking stories. In this role, you will lead communications responses for a variety of projects under DSF’s Climate Solutions Portfolio and provide communications support for our Executive Director. Read more
Digital Specialist, Mobilization & Engagement
From David Suzuki Foundation: As the Digital Specialist, Mobilization & Engagement, you’ll play an integral part in supporting our ambitious goal of 1.5 million people taking action against the environmental crisis. Read more
Social Media Specialist
From David Suzuki Foundation: You are a collaborative, creative, and solutions-oriented Social Media Specialist who will play a critical role in the success of our national Communications and Digital teams. Read more
Climate Transition Cohort – New Intake, Apply Here
From Tamarack: Our Community Climate Transitions team is launching the second Climate Transitions Cohort––and you're invited to apply. The Cohort is a unique opportunity for communities across Canada to learn from some of the most promising emerging solutions and collaborative governance innovations, and to build or advance a climate action plan unique to your local needs. Read more.
Living Oceans Society Communications Manager - By December 12
Living Oceans has been working to protect the health of oceans and coastal communities since 1998. We pride ourselves on developing sound policy options based in science and communicating them clearly to policy makers and the general public; on raising awareness where it's needed most; and advancing our solutions collaboratively. We seek an experienced communications manager to fill a one-year contract position, starting in December.
Indigenous Resilience Fund
From Community Foundations: Any Indigenous-led organization working to foster resilience in Inuit, Metis and First Nations communities anywhere in Canada can apply for resiliency support ranging from $5,000 to $30,000. Learn more here.
Communication Director - Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative
From the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty: We are seeking an experienced and strategic communication director to lead the communication effort and team for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. Full-time, remote. Read more.
We Help You Find a Way to Work on Climate
From Work on Climate: We are an action-oriented Slack community for people serious about climate work. Find climate jobs. Build climate companies. Find your people. 10,000+ members. Join the community. Share your journey, find collaborators, and celebrate each other's wins. Explore our programs. Find the right community offering for where you are on your path. Meet climate experts. Drop in to meet our friendly climate experts during regular office hours. Read more.
Graduate Student Opportunities
From the Climate Research Lab at SFU: We are seeking Master’s and Doctoral students interested in pursuing research in the areas listed on the Research site. Inquiries are welcomed from students of a variety of science backgrounds, including atmospheric science, oceanography, earth science, physical geography, physics or related disciplines. Read more.
From CleanBC: A simpler way for local governments and Indigenous communities to find funding for their climate action projects. Maybe you’re a grant writer looking for funding to add heat pumps to a community building. Or a mayor preparing your town to cope with future wildfires. Or a sustainability manager implementing active transportation projects. Read more.
From Indigenous Climate Action: Indigenous Youth who have been engaged in climate justice organizing or frontline activism can apply to help alleviate financial pressure while trying to prioritize their wellness. $250 financial award. Read more.
