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Welcome to the WE-CAN Climate News Roundup
Your Primary Source for CLIMATE NEWS
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Stay Connected. Be Inspired. Get Involved.
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Top Stories
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A New Climate Democracy: Could Santa Marta Climate Talks Mark Ground Zero in Push to Ditch Fossil Fuels?
From The Guardian: Colombia hosted nearly 60 countries at pivotal time on the world stage for the fight to transition to a clean energy future. “This is the beginning of a new global climate democracy,” Irene Vélez Torres, Colombia’s environment minister and chair of the talks, said in closing remarks that celebrated a “new method” of bringing together high-ambition governments, parliamentarians and civil society groups to accelerate the decarbonisation of their economies. At this moment in history, the conference may mark a new global divide between “electro-democracies” and petro-dictatorships. Read more
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‘Historic Breakthrough’: Colombia Climate Talks End with Hopes Raised for Fossil Fuel Phaseout
From The Guardian: Governments have been asked to develop national “roadmaps” setting out how they will end the production and use of fossil fuels, after a landmark climate meeting involving nearly 60 countries. The voluntary plans will form the bedrock of a new initiative to wean the world off coal, oil and gas. Observers praised the constructive nature of the Santa Marta talks. “For too long, multilateral climate forums have felt like rooms where everyone speaks, but no one understands. Santa Marta broke that pattern. It spoke the language of hope.” Read more
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Hope is Contagious and Science Is King: 10 Big Lessons on Ending the Fossil Fuel Era
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From The Guardian: At world-first Santa Marta climate meeting, delegates say it was ‘euphoric’ to finally be focusing on concrete solutions. After a landmark climate meeting in Santa Marta, Colombia, where nearly 60 countries gathered to work out how to end the production and use of planet-heating fossil fuels, what have we learned? Read more
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Join the Movement. Fuel the Change. The climate crisis won’t wait — and neither can we. At the West Coast Climate Action Network, we connect with and support nearly 300 climate organizations across BC. Together, we amplify impact, share resources, and drive urgent change.
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But we can’t do it without you!
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By becoming a monthly donor, you provide steady and reliable support that sustains the climate movement throughout the year. Your contributions fund vital coordination, advocacy, events, and tools — empowering people and organizations across BC to fight for a livable future. Monthly giving also makes it easier for you to stay connected to the cause, while helping us plan and grow with confidence
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Whether it’s $5 or $50 a month, your donation directly strengthens climate action in BC — and every dollar adds up.
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Be the spark. Join our growing community of monthly donors today.
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Thank you for standing with us in this decisive decade.
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Action Now!
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📌 Disastrous Impacts of Flaring From LNG Canada - Urgent Sign-on for Organizations (By Thursday, May 11)
From Stand.earth: Coming off the great work that is being done by CAPE, MS2S, and CANE, we have created a sign on letter to the feds and the BC government on the disastrous impacts of flaring from LNG Canada, calling for a cumulative assessment on the health impacts of the LNG industry. We need LOTS of sign-ons before it goes to decision makers. You can find the full text of the letter here, and can sign on using this form.
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📌 Tell Big Pensions: Do NOT Invest My Money in LNG! (Please write)
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From Stand.earth: Canada’s largest public pension funds are considering investments in risky LNG projects in British Columbia, gambling our retirement savings on financially risky, polluting projects. If you want your pension to be invested in a clean and affordable future, not gambled on harmful, risky projects, send an email to pension fund CEOs demanding just that. Write here
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📌 Tell The Federal Government To End Plastic Pollution Now (Please sign)
From Environmental Defence: Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal has confirmed that the government has the authority to act on harmful, polluting plastics, including bans on single-use plastic items, keeping them out of our rivers, lakes and coasts. It’s crucial that the government use this victory to end plastic pollution. Please sign on to demand that the government ramp up measures to address out-of-control plastic pollution and shift away from single-use plastics. Sign here
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📌 Share Your Thoughts: 2026-2029 Draft Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (By May 12)
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WE-CAN Friends and Allies
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Detailed Info from the Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions
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From WE-CAN: Here is the Hansard record of the meeting to consider the budget estimates ($89,684,000) of the Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions, and share the most important insights. It includes Hon. Adrian Dix; Peter Pokorny, Deputy Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions; Ranbir Parmar, executive financial officer and ADM; Rachel Shaw, ADM, energy resources division; Chris Gilmore, ADM of electricity and utility regulation; Nat Gosman, ADM of climate solutions division; Charlotte Mitha, president and CEO of B.C. Hydro; Ryan Layton, executive vice-president and chief financial officer at B.C. Hydro; and Michelle Carr, CEO of B.C. Energy Regulator. Read more
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New Public Transit Alliance Launches Campaign for Full Provincial Intercity Bus Network
From WE-CAN: Last Tuesday, we concluded 7 months of organizing work by launching the Public Transit Alliance of BC and announcing our first campaign, for a province-wide, interconnected public bus service. We were joined at our launch by George Anderson, MLA, Parliamentary Secretary for Transit, and Emily Lowan, leader of the Green Party of BC. We have 25 supporting organizations, and a lot of work ahead. Our website is www.transitalliancebc.ca, and our news release is here. If you’d like to volunteer to help, you can fill in the form here.
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Wednesday, May 6, 4pm Let’s Talk Heat - A Dialogue to Help Launch a BC Heat Collaborative
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From For Our Kids: Extreme heat is a growing risk, and a new BC Heat Collaborative is forming to bring together community members, organizations, and advocates to address it. Join us for discussions about how heat is impacting your community or work, hear about efforts to address extreme heat, and share your input on priorities for the Collaborative. The launch of this initiative is supported by ACORN Canada, Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Ecotrust Canada, First United, For Our Kids Vancouver, Sierra Club BC, and the UBC Centre for Climate Justice, and others. Register here
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Saturday, May 9, 10 am-12 WE-CAN AGM: Climate Action, Past, Present, Future - Register Now
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From WE-CAN: We invite you to join us for our Annual General Meeting, when we will elect new directors, share what we have been up to, and look to the future. Register here
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Climate Solutions
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Bill McKibben: Here Comes the Sun - Video
From UBC Centre for Climate Justice: Author and environmental activist Bill McKibben was joined by Dr. Amy Harris to speak about the monumental rise in renewable energy, and the potential to seize the moment of global fossil fuel shortages to present wind and solar as a cheap, clean, and reliable alternative. Watch here
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Want an EV for Under $5,000? How About this Option?
From CBC: Gaynette Friesen's electric commute to work is fun, fast and costs next to nothing to run. Friesen, who lives in Peterborough, Ont., used to ride an ordinary bike. But about three years ago, she got a new job at Fleming College, and the route there was "wicked hilly," she said. So she bought herself a new Aventon e-bike. "The e-bike is a game changer. It eats up the hills and spits out speed bumps. It makes me feel like I am in the Tour de France." Read more
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Canada Should Be Leading a Geothermal Power Boom
From The Tyee: We have all it takes to wake a sleeping giant of clean energy. What’s in the way? A day’s drive south of Vancouver, on the slopes of the Newberry Volcano in Oregon, a groundbreaking geothermal project has demonstrated the commercial viability of generating clean, secure electricity from hot dry rock. Read more
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Ecuador Protects 4.6M Hectares of Amazon Rainforest with Innovative Debt-for-Nature Swap
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From Noticias Ambientales: Ecuador has launched the Amazon Biocorridor Fund, aimed at protecting 4.6 million hectares of the Amazon through an innovative debt-for-nature swap. The protection of the Amazon includes the conservation of 1.8 million hectares of forests and wetlands, and 18,000 kilometers of rivers. Read more
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Forestry and Nature
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The Botanist Who Isn’t Afraid to Call Trees Sacred
From The Tyee: Diana Beresford-Kroeger says she has sensed a ‘consciousness in the forest.’ “So we got to this forest and I just almost collapsed. The trees were enormous, absolutely enormous. And I saw all the rare species in there and, oh my God, the trees were so tall. And then as we walked into darkness it was like the forest had subtracted every noise.” An extraordinary quiet enveloped Beresford-Kroeger, the kind of silence only a forest can create. Read more
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Canada’s Biggest Sustainable Forest Label has a Clear-Cutting Problem
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From Corporate Knights: Environmental groups allege that a popular forest certification system amounts to greenwashing. Torrance Coste spends much of his time in BC’s old-growth forests, building trails, hiking and camping. For Coste, something doesn’t add up. He has seen the scars of clear-cutting firsthand, in a territory that carries the stamp of approval of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Read more
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Climate Image of the Week
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Climate Politics and Action
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‘Suicidal’ Model of Capitalism Leading to War and Fascism, Climate Summit Told
From The Guardian: Colombia president Gustavo Petro tells 57-country talks on a green energy transition that fossil fuel interests could destroy humanity. He blamed fossil fuel interests for taking ever more desperate measures to prevent a transition to green energy. “There is inertia in the power and the economy of this archaic form of energy – fossil fuels – that lead to death. Undoubtedly, that form of capital can commit suicide, taking with it humanity and [other] life,” he said. “The question that needs to be asked is whether capitalism can truly adapt to a non-fossil energy model.” Read more
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Who Really Pays for B.C.’s Power?
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From The Narwhal: In B.C., residential electricity customers pay almost twice as much as big businesses. As demand for power spikes, the cost of infrastructure and daily use is only going to go up. Read more
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Climate Science and Impacts
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‘Point of No Return’: New Orleans Relocation Must Start Now Due to Sea Level
From The Guardian: Louisiana’s cultural hotspot could be surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico before the end of this century. The process of relocating people from New Orleans should start immediately, as the city has reached a “point of no return” that will see it surrounded by the ocean within decades due to the climate crisis, a stark new study has concluded. Read more
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Health Concerns, Including Cancer, Mount as Production Ramps up at LNG Export Facility
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From CAPE: LNG Canada flared 40 times more gas than permits allow during the last three months of 2025 and the first month of 2026. The intensity and duration of flaring events, sometimes producing flames as tall as a 26-story building, are a growing health concern in Kitimat, particularly because there has been no comprehensive study assessing the impact of LNG on human health. The company told the regulator it will take three years to fix the equipment problem, which necessitates excess flaring—to prevent an explosion. Read more
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Resistance and Movement
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BC Teen's Mission is to Amplify Voices Impacted by Climate Change
From National Observer: Isabella Wen helps those directly impacted by climate change find their voice. The 18-year-old high school student from Surrey, British Columbia, is a Starfish Canada 2026 Climate75 Fellow. She is also media team lead for the food sovereignty conversation hosted by UBC’s Health Together project, which has reached over 1,000 community leaders. She has taught a public-speaking series, Loudly Together, to over 300 youth in Ghana, Afghanistan and the United States. She is also the founder and co-host of Rose Tinted Ceilings, a podcast helping young women find their place in leadership. Read more
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High School Student Seeks Climate Science Mentor
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My name is Allysa, I am a high school student at Vancouver Learning Network. I am conducting an experiment where I introduce CO2 gas into a model ecosystem (a terrarium) to record the results. After high school, I'm pursuing environmental engineering and this project serves for me to explore my passion. I need a mentor who I can consult with over email before, during and after my experiment. Could someone offer to be my mentor? Email guy@westcoastclimateaction.ca if you can help, and I will send her your contact info.
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Rethinking Self-Importance in a Time of Social and Ecological Collapse
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From Guy Dauncey, Resilience: There is a direct line that runs through human history, connecting unchecked self-importance to elitism, domination, and the worst of brutalities. Can it really be that simple? Self-importance is usually called out by friends and curtailed before we become adults, but when it survives, it can wreak havoc. Read more
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You Can Take Action! Events, Protests and Rallies
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*PLEASE NOTE* If your climate organization is a WE-CAN member, click “Post your Event” under ‘Calendar’, and it will be added following approval.
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The calendar is a great networking tool, helping you connect and share events with the broader climate movement. Check it out and start posting your events today!
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Organize Transformational Change with UVic’s Micro-Certificate in Climate Activism
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From UVic Continuing Studies: Are you looking to develop, lead and support effective climate action? Build practices for organizing transformational change including strategic landscape analysis, effective communication, and alliance-building skills. Learners and climate activists can choose to focus on issues such as Indigenous allyship, systems transformation or collaborative governance. Details here
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May 11 – 15 Allyship, Solidarity and Transforming Relations (In Victoria)
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From UVic Continuing Studies: Settler colonialism and capitalism have damaged relationships with land and with each other. As we seek to build strong alliances between Indigenous Peoples and settlers we need to be unlearning white supremacy, hierarchy and dominance, and learning to build trust, reciprocity and accountability. $654. Details here
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Thursday, May 14, 6-8 pm Promenade for the Planet - Square-Dancing! (In Vancouver)
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From BC Climate Emergency Campaign: These are challenging times and we need joy and community more than ever. So put aside your worries for a night and have some fun with friends at "Promenade for the Planet". Dinner included, vegetarian and vegan options. "Best dressed in the west" costume contest. Bring a partner or find one here. No square dance experience necessary. Child-friendly event. Ticketing - pay what you can. All sales to the Lax'yip Firekeepers. Famee Furlane Hall, 2605 East Pender Street , Vancouver. Get your tickets here.
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Thursday, May 14, 6 pm Climate Book Club: Run Like a Girl
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Wednesday, May 20, 7–8:30 pm Faith & Climate: From Concern to Collective Action (In Victoria)
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How are we, as people of faith and spirituality, called to respond to the climate crisis at this moment? Across Victoria, many are already taking meaningful action—through greening initiatives, education, advocacy, and protest. We invite you to join us to share what you are doing, and explore ways to strengthen our collective impact. Hosted by Michael Polanyi (Unitarian Universalist Community of Victoria) and Reilly Yeo (Co-Founder of My Climate Plan; Unitarian Universalist Association). Friends’ Meeting House, 1831 Fern Street, Victoria. RSVP here.
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Grants, Job Vacancies and More!
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Job Vacancy: Program Manager, Clean Transportation (By May 15)
From SFU: The Clean Transportation Program Manager provides leadership to Clean Energy Canada by driving the development and execution of programs that accelerate the adoption of clean energy technologies in the transportation sector, supporting Canada’s transition to a clean energy future. Read more
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Job Vacancy: Dogwood – Victoria Organizing Coordinator (By May 31)
From Dogwood: As part of our Organizing team (currently made up of the director and two staff organizers), you will be responsible for volunteer engagement and event coordination in the Victoria area. You’ll support our South Island volunteer team and work with allies to push our province beyond fossil fuels and act in solidarity with Indigenous people and communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Full time, permanent, 30 hour work week. Desired start date: June 15. In Greater Victoria Area. Read more
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Parliamentary Internship for the Environment (Apply by May 24)
From Environmental Leadership: The Parliamentary Internship for the Environment program equips the next generation of environmental leaders with skills, experience, and political know-how. It offers young leaders aged 18-30 the opportunity to work alongside some of Canada’s most prominent environmental and sustainability leaders. Successful applicants receive a 8-10-month paid internship in the Parliament Hill office of an MP working on cross-cutting issues around climate change, environment and sustainability issues. Read more
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Call For Applications - 2026 Institute For Future Legislators (Apply by May 31)
The Institute for Future Legislators is a three-weekend program for individuals with political aspirations or who wish to deepen their understanding of political systems. This year it will be held at Vancouver Island University (August 15-16 in Nanaimo), UBC (August 22-23 in Vancouver), and SFU (August 29-30 in Vancouver). It provides intensive and practical mentoring and training for anyone who seeks the experience and knowledge necessary to make a difference - whether at the local, provincial, or federal level. Learn more
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Are You Hosting a Climate Event Through a PICS-Network University? We Can Provide Support.
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From PICS: Our University Climate Knowledge Mobilization Events program supports climate change-related research dissemination, knowledge mobilization, and events hosted by PICS university (UBC, SFU, UNBC, UVic) groups, organizations, departments, or institutes. The program offers up to $2,500 for eligible events. We aim to support up to 35 events a year and will close when funding is fully subscribed. Read more
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Environment Funders
Their list of members is here - a useful source of thinking when it comes to fundraising
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WE-CAN’s Fundraising Toolkit for Climate Action Groups is here
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From all of us in the West Coast Climate Action Network
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We honour the title and rights of the Indigenous peoples on whose ancestral lands we live and work.
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