WE-CAN News Friday April 8th, 2022
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Please submit by the Thursday of each week. We cannot alas promise to get everything in! guy@westcoastclimateaction.ca
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WE-CAN Actions
News from the West Coast Climate Action Network
If you would like us to share news about your work, please write a story and out it on your website of Facebook page. We will then share a summary with the link. Email Guy. We will soon be sending every member organization a survey asking about the types of climate action your group is engaged in and what your needs are, so that we can support each other.Â
WE-CAN is a member of Climate Action Network Canada, which brings the opportunity to report on BC climate activities at the weekly meeting. If you have an activity youâd like us to share, please send the details to Fiona.
Wednesday April 20, 7pm Municipal Campaigning 101
Wednesday April 20, 7pm Municipal Campaigning 101
From WE-CAN: The 4th of our four Roundtables will focus on election strategies for climate champions, and how to run a successful campaign. We currently have Trudi Goels and Dave Mills as panelists, with the MC and third panelist to be announced.
Wednesday April 13, 4pm Transportation in a Time of Climate Crisis #2: Great Cycling and Walking – Urban and Rural
Wednesday April 13, 4pm Transportation in a Time of Climate Crisis #2: Great Cycling and Walking – Urban and Rural
From WE-CAN: Join us for the second of four webinars in which the WE-CAN Climate Solutions Team explores the best policies and practices for transportation in BC, build a platform, and mobilize political action. Today we look at the need for great cycling, both urban and province-wide. With guests Iona Bonamis, Patricia Dehnel and Thomas Thivener.
đ Petition for a World-Class BC-Wide Bus Service – Please sign!
đ Petition for a World-Class BC-Wide Bus Service – Please sign!
From WE-CAN: To John Horgan, Premier of BC: We call on you to work together to take whatever steps are needed to build a safe, reliable, affordable, publicly owned-and-operated inter-community bus service network for the benefit of all BC communities, and to report on progress within six months.
Global Climate Action
Calls to Action from across the world
đ Sign-on: Urge Canada and other country to end public finance for fossils in 2022
đ Sign-on: Urge Canada and other country to end public finance for fossils in 2022
By April 10th
From Oil Change International: I’m writing to ask organizations to sign-on to a set of letters calling on Canada and others to keep their promises under the COP26 Glasgow where 39 signatories including Canada committed to (1) End their international public finance for ‘unabated’ fossil fuels by the end of 2022, and (2) “prioritise [their] support fully towards the clean energy transition.” For Canada, we have broadened the asks to include asks on all fossil fuel subsidies . Please add your organizational endorsement if you can here — ideally by Sun April 10th.
Canada Climate Action
Calls to Action from across Canada
đCall for Action on Climate-Aligned Finance in Canada – Call for organizational sign-ons
đCall for Action on Climate-Aligned Finance in Canada – Call for organizational sign-ons
From Environmental Defence: We invite your organizations to call for representatives from the Canadian parliament and Senate to implement climate-aligned financial regulation to reroute the financial sectorâs action on climate change. The call to action is based on Senator Rosa Galvez’s Bill S-243, the Climate-Aligned Finance Act.
đSupport Niki Ashtonâs Private Membersâ Bill C-245: To Amend the Canada Infrastructure Ban Act
đSupport Niki Ashtonâs Private Membersâ Bill C-245: To Amend the Canada Infrastructure Ban Act
From Niki Ashton, MP: This bill would allow Canada to leverage public ownership and public investment in the fight against climate change, and in support of the most marginalized communities such as Indigenous and Northern communities in Canada. It would change the mandate of the Canada Infrastructure Bank by making the fight against the climate crisis its priority, and removing the part of its mandate that allows it to seek out private investment. Please support Nikiâs bill. Contact angela.dittrich.603@parl.gc.ca
đAdd Coal to Canadaâs Toxic Substances Act – A Petition to Parliament
đAdd Coal to Canadaâs Toxic Substances Act – A Petition to Parliament
From Victor Brice, Nanaimo: We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: (1) Add thermal coal to the Priority Substances List of the Canadian Environment Protection Act (CEPA), and, as soon thereafter as possible, to the Toxic Substances List of CEPA; and (2) Regulate the mining, use, export, and import of thermal coal in Canada in accordance with our international commitments to reduce carbon emissions at home and abroad.
BC Climate Action
Calls to Action from across British Columbia
đA Half-Baked Plan Wonât Cut It In A Climate Emergency. Please contact your MLA
đA Half-Baked Plan Wonât Cut It In A Climate Emergency. Please contact your MLA
From Sierra Club of BC: BC’s Climate Change Accountability Act requires the government to publish annual reports on how it plans to make progress toward all its climate targets. The 2021 report falls woefully short, by failing to include a plan for the 2025, 2040 and 2050 climate targets. It also omits the governmentâs plan to cut carbon pollution from the oil and gas sector, which could rapidly grow in coming yearsâfueled largely by the B.C. governmentâs support for fracked gas and LNG projects. Tell your MLA that you expect better. Anything less than complete plans to reduce carbon pollution in every sector while meeting every target along the path to 2050 is unacceptable in the context of the climate emergency.
Cedar LNG Application â Please Comment, by Thursday April 14th, midnight
Cedar LNG Application â Please Comment, by Thursday April 14th, midnight
Cedar LNG Partners LP wants to construct and operate a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility and marine export terminal near Kitimat, using fracked gas shipped through Wet’su-wetâen territory using the Coastal GasLink pipeline. The project would produce 3 to 4 million tonnes of LNG per year, and have a lifespan of at least 25 years. It would produce 168,000 tonnes of CO2 annually if the liquefaction is powered from the BC Hydro grid, or 840,000 tonnes of CO2 if it relies on its own gas for power. The Public Comment Period on the project’s application for an Environmental Assessment certificate is open until April 14. Companyâs website. Click here for the Wilderness Committeeâs assessment.
Resistance
Acts of Resistance
Resistance
âThey pretend we donât existâ: Wetâsuwetâen hereditary chiefs insulted after RBC cancels in-person meeting last-minute
From the National Observer: Chief Namoks called it an insult he wonât ever forget. âToday is one of the highest insults I’ve ever received as a chief,â he said. âYouâve seen the violence (on Wetâsuwetâen territory); I think today’s insult was bigger.â âThey wouldn’t even send anybody out to apologize for cancelling the RBC meeting on such short notice. We travelled across from our lands in British Columbia to here, and they don’t even apologize to high chiefs? ⌠They pretend we don’t exist, and every aspect, they treat us as if we’re not human.â Read more.
These Seven Brave People are on an Old Growth Hunger Strike
From Save Old Growth: They are calling on Katrine Conroy to hold a public meeting over the protection of the last remaining old growth forests in BC. Grace & Jordana are first year students at the University of Victoria. Howard Breen is a 68 year old grandfather in Nanaimo. Sabrina & Isaac study at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Ava Savage, 24, is a former youth intern on a federally funded contract through Chilliwack Community Services. What ties them together is that they recognize the true perils that they face in the future and how the government is continuing to drive us towards social collapse. They have taken this matter into their own hands and will refuse to eat until their demand is met. They join Brent Eichler who is on hunger strike in Vancouver, and who has yet to receive a reply from the minister. Read more.
Environmental protesters disrupt bank business in Nanaimo in response to fossil-fuel investment
From Nanaimo Bulletin: Protesters from Extinction Rebellion disrupted bank business in Nanaimo this morning to protest the financial institutionâs investment in the fossil-fuel industry. Extinction Rebellion members Vic Brice and Howard Breen superglued themselves to the door handles at the RBC at Brooks Landing, and have been arrested. Extinction Rebellion issued a press release Thursday morning intended to âname and shameâ RBC president and CEO David McKay in response to the bankâs role in financial transactions related to the Coastal GasLink pipeline project on Wetâsuwetâen territory in northern B.C. Read more.
Climate Solutions
Hopeful Solutions to the Climate Crisis
Active Transportation in a Time of Climate Crisis
Walking and cycling are the most basic forms of travel. They are inclusive, affordable, healthy, joyful, and good for the environment, both locally and globally. Surveys indicate that many people would like to walk and bicycle more than they do, provided they have suitable facilities. Everyone â motorists included – benefits when more people are able to walk and bicycle safely. Improving active transportation helps us to create more livable communities.
Active transportation improvements can also generate large savings and public benefits. Since most public transit trips require walking or cycling to get to a bus stop, improving active travel will encourage more use of public transit. Similarly, safe walking and cycling paths reduce the need for parents to chauffeur their children to school – trips that are particularly inefficient since they often involve an empty return trip. Electric bikes greatly expand the number of trips that can be made on two wheels, but only if there are cycling facilities that make people feel safe.
Clean BCâs Roadmap to 2030 climate action plan includes two ambitious targets:
- To double walking, bicycling and public transit travel by 2030, and
- To reduce automobile travel by a quarter by 2030.
The province needs an equally ambitious plan to meet these goals. If provincial policies arerealigned to favour resource-efficient travel, following the sustainable transportation hierarchy illustrated below, they are achievable.

The majority of transportation resources – money and road space – are currently devoted to automobiles. The BC Ministry of Transportation and Highways has allocated just 0.73% ($60 million over three years) of its $2,729 million 2022/23 budget to its Active Transportation Grant Program, while planning to spend more than a billion dollars to expand highways, despite abundant evidence that highway expansions induce additional vehicle travel, causing congestion to get worse, rather than better, and air pollution to increase.Â
 Other jurisdictions have stronger, more comprehensive plans. Washington Stateâs 16-year transportation budget includes $81 million a year for Active Transportation. Allowing for the stateâs 40% higher population (7 million), that is three times more than BCâs budget. For financial contrast, a single new highway interchange in Victoria (at McKenzie) cost $96 million, almost five times more than BCâs Active Transportation budget for the entire province.
 BCâs current transportation planning practices are unfair to anybody who cannot or chooses not to rely on an automobile. Surveys show that many more people want to walk, cycle or roll, but they are discouraged by inadequate infrastructure (sidewalks, pathways, or bike lanes), unsafe intersection design, and a lack of safe crossing opportunities to access transit stops or other destinations.Â
In rural areas, they are discouraged by busy highways with inadequate shoulders and a lack of maintenance to remove leaves or snow.Â
In winter, outside of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, people walking, biking or rolling have to navigate narrow paths, gravel and snowbanks.Â
Experience in many communities shows that when these obstacles are removed, and good facilities are built, more people will walk, bike or roll, resulting in fewer trips by automobile. Research also shows that people who live in such communities are fitter, healthier and happier. These improvements are particularly important for children, parents, people on lower incomes, people with disabilities, and seniors.Â
Great active transportation makes our communities safer, more inclusive, more affordable and more equitable, while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that are so dangerous for our planetâs climate.
 Provincial Policy Requests
 A: Financial Support
- Increase the MoTI budget for Active Transportation five-fold to $100 million annually, including a commitment to long-term funding for municipalities, making it closer – at $20 per person per year – to what leading jurisdictions spend on active transportation infrastructure. (London $27, Winnipeg $32, Netherlands $40, Brisbane $51 per person per year).
- Increase the maximum grant that a jurisdiction can get for a project from $500,000 to $5 million.
- Obtain the new funds by reallocating funding from highway expansion to public transit, walking and cycling. The Capital Regional District recently made a unanimous request for just such a change.
- Within the new budget, prioritize projects that serve disproportionately impacted communities that have fewer transportation options.Â
- Include funding for Safe Routes to School, and for cycling promotion and education programs, to increase awareness and encourage more people to cycle and walk.
- Within the new budget, include long-distance urban-rural bicycle trails, building a world-class province-wide rural cycling network similar to those in Denmark, Holland, Britain, Germany, and Quebec.Â
B: Policy Support
- Establish a detailed plan to achieve BCâs targets to double walking, bicycling and public transit mode shares, and to reduce automobile travel by a quarter by 2030.
- Appoint a Director of Active Transportation, and a Safe Routes to School Coordinator.
- Require each region to have dedicated Active Transportation staff who can ensure that all Provincial Highways are Active Transportation friendly.
- Establish an Active Transportation Centre of Excellence within MoTI, gathering all governance, policy, strategies, investments, education and encouragement programs into a single agency which can truly transform BC and help British Columbians prepare for future mobility challenges.
C: Regulatory Support
- Update the Motor Vehicle Act, which has not been substantially changed since 1957, renaming it the Motor Vehicle and Active Transportation Act.
- Include a Safe Passing law with sizable fines, and a minimum passing distance of 1.5 metres.
- Include legal definitions of bike lanes, the legalization of bicycle specific signals and of riding two abreast, and remove or update the ânear to the rightâ clause.
- Legalize the use of wheelchairs and mobility scooters in bicycle infrastructure.
- Â Enable cities to create a blanket speed limit that is less than 50 km/h, and default speed limit of 30 km/h on local streets.Â
- Increase the penalty for dooring from $81 to $368 plus 3 demerit points.
 Municipal Active Transportation Policy Requests
- Establish a complete streets policy to ensure that all roadways can safely accommodate all users, including vulnerable users who choose to or need to walk, cycle or roll.
- Build cycling, rolling and walking facilities for people of all ages, from 8 to 80, enabling safe recreational trips and direct connections to schools, places of work, grocery stores, restaurants, medical offices, and parks.Â
- Build protected sidewalks, pathways, and bike lanes along major roads, and separate user groups whenever possible, given that some users travel at 5 km/hr while others travel at 30 km/hr.
- Prioritize projects that serve disproportionately impacted communities which have historically had fewer transportation options.Â
- Redesign residential streets so that vehicles are treated as guests and naturally move at a slower speed, giving streets back to their residents.Â
- Re-allocate road space to walking, cycling, and public use, making our communities safer, helping people to build more social connections, and improving mental, emotional, and physical health, as Melissa and Chris Bruntlett show in their must-read book for Municipal Councillors and Regional Directors: Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Vehicles. Vancouverâs Climate Emergency Action Plan seeks to reallocate at least 11% of the cityâs road space to walking, cycling and transit, âto greatly reduce dependence on fossil fuels through a reduction in vehicle ownership and kilometres travelled by vehicle.âÂ
- Require continuous tree coverage on these streets to provide shade in the summer, when people are at most risk of extreme heat events.
- Remove requirements for City staff to engage with the public on whether or not to increase active transportation and reduce traffic. It is critical to speed this up to make a dent against the climate emergency.
Petition for an Increased Active Transportation Budget
We call on you to establish a plan to achieve BCâs 2030 active transportation mode share targets, and to increase the provincial Active Transportation program funding to $100 million annually, and the maximum for a project to $5 million, by re-allocating funds from highway expansion projects.
Climate Solutions
âTerrifyingâ IPCC Report Chronicles âFast Track to Climate Disasterâ, Shows Narrowed Path to 1.5°C
From The Energy Mix: âI donât have words to explain. âConcerningâ is not enough. This is frankly a terrifying report,â former UN climate secretary Christiana Figueres told Bloomberg Green. âItâs not really about megatonnesâ of emissions, she added. âIt is fundamentally about the long-term well-being of the entire web of life on this planet.â Read more.Â
No, British Columbiaâs LNG Cannot Solve Europeâs Russian Gas Problem
From Sightline: Fossil fuel interests in Canada are taking advantage of the Ukraine crisis to promote Canadaâs languishing LNG export industry as a solution to the EUâs dependency on Russian gas. But the EU plans to be fully off Russian gas by 2025: the same year that the first of British Columbiaâs five LNG export proposals would be up and running.  Whatâs more, British Columbia cannot both frack the levels of gas needed to supply these LNG facilities, and meet the greenhouse gas emissions cuts required by its own climate commitments. Read more.
The World is on Fire. Why is Canada considering massive new oil drilling?
From Conor Curtis and Tzeporah Berman, The Guardian: A Norwegian oil company wants to drill 73m barrels a year off the coast of Newfoundland â the equivalent of adding 7m gas cars to the road. The new Canadian cabinet was supposed to make a decision on whether or not to accept this project by 6 March, but has now delayed that decision by another 40 days â time, we hope, that they will use to plan a just energy transition instead of another oil project. This is the first test of their climate leadership and threatens their claims of being environmental champions. Read more.
Ottawa Issues âSlap in the Faceâ to Climate Science, Approves Bay du Nord Offshore Oil Megaproject
From The Energy Mix: The federal cabinet administered what one critic called a âslap in the faceâ to climate science with a decision today to approve the massive Bay du Nord oil and gas megaproject off the Newfoundland coast. The $9.4-billion project led by Norwegian state fossil Equinor is expected to extract 300 million to one billion barrels of oil from a site about 500 kilometres northeast of St. Johnâs, beginning in 2028. Environment and Climate Minister Steven Guilbeault announced the decision just two days after the latest warning from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that humanity is less than 10 years away from exceeding a carbon budget that would deliver just 50-50 odds of holding global warming to 1.5°C. Read more.
Oil project Bay du Nord approved after United Nations say no more oil
From Seth Klein, Climate Emergency Unit: Despite warnings against fossil fuel expansion from worldâs top climate scientists and United Nations Secretary General, major deepwater oil project off the east coast of Canada, Bay du Nord, gets green light. But hope is not lostâwe the people hold the power, and itâs time to mobilize! Read more. Â
ExxonMobil Announces $10 Billion Oil Investment the Same Day IPCC Signals End for Fossil Fuels
From DeSmogBlog: The oil giantâs massive plan to drill in Guyanaâs waters comes as the UN Secretary General warns of fossil fuels as a âblight on investment portfolios.â Read more
âThis was our forever homeâ: floods, climate change and the end of one Alberta community
From The Narwhal: Climate change could force 216 million people from their homes worldwide by 2050. In one flood-prone Alberta community, 18 people are experiencing that loss firsthand. Read more
The Thwaites Glacier
From Shaw TV: Guy Dauncey talks with Antarctic climate scientist David Holland, who studies phenomena relating to the Polar Regions and their impacts on global climate. On the edge of western Antarctica sits the worldâs most unstable glacier, held back from falling into the sea by a slab of floating ice. If the Thwaites Glacier were to collapse, the water in it  would raise sea levels by two feet. If its collapse triggers the fall of nearby glaciers, global sea levels could rise by up to 10 feet. Read more
Fear and Loathing in the Climate Era: 8 Thoughts on How We Win
From Tzeporah Berman, Stand.earth: Climate campaigns and mobilization need to address fear and security in a world on fire, and create common purpose. Here are 8 thoughts on how we can do this. Read more.
Great Public Transit Urban and Rural
A West Coast Climate Action Network discussion paper by Eric Doherty â March 8, 2022
Transportation is British Columbiaâs largest single source of greenhouse gas pollution â about 40% of the total. Great public transit is essential for getting these emissions trending down, rapidly, in all parts of the province.
The BC government supports this goal – its October 2021 CleanBC Roadmap to 2030 update calls for reducing âdistances travelled in light-duty vehicles by 25% by 2030, compared to 2020.â
CleanBC puts reducing distances traveled and increasing mode shift (from private automobiles to public transit, walking and cycling) at the top of its policy list, as shown in its graphic.

Meeting the CleanBC targets will require a shift in provincial transportation policy. The government has dozens of urban highway expansion projects planned, including the four-billion-dollar plan to replace the four-lane Massey Tunnel with a new eight-lane tunnel. More than 350 organizations, including many WE-CAN members, have signed an open letter including the demand that BC âinvest in affordable, accessible, and convenient public transit within and between all communities [and] reallocate infrastructure funds from highway expansion to transit and active transportation (cycling, rolling, and walking).â Recently the Capital Regional District unanimously approved a policy calling on the provincial and federal governments to reallocate funding from highway expansion to public transit, walking and cycling in Greater Victoria.
Whenever you expand a congested road or highway it quickly fills up with new traffic, and the congestion gets worse rather than better. This is called induced traffic. And GHG pollution increases, even if public transit and active transportation are improved at the same time.
If we leave existing highways, roads and parking lots as they are, traffic volumes will stay close to where they are whether or not transit is improved. That is one of the paradoxes of subways and elevated metros like SkyTrain â they provide great transit service without necessarily reducing driving.
When you subtract road space for cars, traffic evaporates. Two decades ago, the accumulated evidence for traffic evaporation was summarized in the Municipal Engineer paper “Disappearing traffic? The story so far.” It says when “reallocating roadspace from general traffic, to improve conditions for pedestrians or cyclists or buses… significant reductions in overall traffic levels can occur.” In fact, large reductions in traffic levels are normal with well-planned projects. However, as Dario Hidalgo, a BogotĂĄ based civil engineer, notes âmost decision â and opinion â makers are still under the impression that reducing car lanes will make traffic worse.â
Vancouverâs Climate Emergency Action Plan calls for reallocating at least 11 percent of road space to âwalking, cycling and transit [to] greatly reduce dependence on fossil fuels through a reduction in vehicle ownership and kilometres travelled by vehicle.â Both BC Transit and TransLink have plans for RapidBus (bus rapid transit) networks in urban and suburban areas. To be rapid and reliable, RapidBus needs 24/7 bus lanes to be reallocated from existing travel or parking lanes, which would also trigger traffic evaporation.
Reallocating road space in cities can make life more affordable, pleasant and just. Car ownership is a huge expense, and walking, cycling and rolling options throughout urban and suburban areas would relieve a financial burden for many. Protected bike and roll lanes, pedestrian priority streets and bus lanes make our cities more pleasant and healthy. Reducing transit fares, and having free or deeply discounted transit passes for youth and low income people, is also very important.

Inter-community public transit
The lack of inter-community public transit disproportionately impacts Indigenous and other peoples in rural areas. As the Union of BC Indian Chiefs asserts in their letter calling for a BC-wide public transit network, âSafe, reliable, and accessible public transit to and from First Nations communities in B.C. is essential because transportation is necessary to many indispensable components of daily life.â
Reallocating money away from highway expansion could fund public inter-community bus service province-wide. To meet B.C.âs ambitious traffic reduction target, this bus network would have to be much better and more affordable than Greyhound ever was. Expanding and improving BC Transitâs modest BC Bus North network, using electric buses, is an obvious option. Passenger train service on existing tracks is also needed in the longer term.
A frequent and affordable bus service between communities would make life more affordable and safer for people across B.C. People in rural areas and small towns spend a lot of money on long drives, and crashes on snowy highways are a serious threat. Because many people in cities pay to buy and insure vehicles primarily for visiting rural areas of B.C., car use in cities could be reduced by improving transit to rural areas.
Proposed Actions
- Challenge your elected municipal councillors, regional district directors, and candidates for office to set a local target that matches or exceeds the provincial target of reducing vehicle travel 25% by 2030. Ask them to advocate for reallocating provincial and federal infrastructure funds from highway expansion to transit and active transportation (cycling, rolling, and walking). See GVAT example.
- Thank the BC government for their ambitious target for fewer cars and 25% less traffic, and demand transportation investments that respect human rights â Amnesty International has a helpful guide.
- Endorse and become active in the grassroots Letâs Ride campaign for a public inter-community public transit system across British Columbia – bcwidebus.com.
This discusssion paper was written to correspond with the first of a four part webinar series entitled “Transportation in a Time of Climate Crisis.” A video recording will be available once the event concludes and the video is processed. If you’d like this discussion paper as a PDF, you can download it here.
About the Author

Eric Doherty
Registered Professional Planner, MCIP - Ecopath Planning
Eric Doherty, the principal of Ecopath Planning, has completed a wide range of projects for non-profit, public and private sector clients. He is skilled in assessing needs and opportunities, and finding effective solutions. Eric is also an accomplished researcher, writer and editor for web and print publication.
Climate Creativity
Climate-Related Books, Videos, Poetry, Art and Music
Climate Creativity
Do you have climate-related video, poetry, art or music youâd like to share with others? Contact guy@westcoastclimateaction.ca
The Magnitude Of All Things
From Andrew Wilkinson: Ready for Earth Day, Jennifer Abbottâs new documentary The Magnitude of All Things merges stories from the frontlines of climate change with recollections of the loss of her sister, drawing intimate parallels between personal and planetary grief. Watch the film for free on NFB.ca starting on April 22. Host your own screening using SMIâs Virtual Screening Kit, which includes promotional assets, and an eco-anxiety discussion guide.
Guy Daunceyâs Pinterest Page
From Guy Dauncey, via Pinterest: 500+ stunning images of an amazing green future. See them here.Â
Four Climate Myths our Politicians are Proliferating
From Shhhtainabiloty, via TikTok. Check out the video.Â
Call for Artistic Imagination: Life in 2050 with much less energy Â
First Prize 5,000 Euros, By April 30thÂ
From IIASA: How do YOU envision a future society that has successfully avoided climate change in 2050? A world that consumes much less energy by changing behaviour, habits, business traditions, and many other aspects of daily life? How will people live? Would everyday life look drastically different in 2050? Task: Depict what life might look like in 2050. Capture a future with much lower energy demand, high levels of sharing and efficiency, that is less harmful to the environment, and socially more developed. Media: written, filmed, painted, drawn, pictured, composed, recorded. Viewing, listening, or reading it should take a maximum 2 minutes. Submit here or read more here.
Climate Impacts, Science and Politics
News Concerning the Climate Emergency
Climate Impacts, Science and Politics
Canadian Banks Keep Financing Fossil Fuels
From The Tyee: âGut wrenchingâ report shows weâre going in the wrong direction to tackle climate emergency, despite Paris Agreement promises, say activists. Canadaâs five biggest banks increased their fossil fuel financing by 70 per cent, or around $61 billion, last year, according to the annual Banking on Climate Chaos report, put together by several environmental organizations. https://thetyee.ca/News/2022/03/31/Canadian-Banks-Billions-Fossil-Fuel-Financing/Â
New members appointed to B.C.âs Climate Solutions Council
From BC Government News: New council members include Lynda Price, Chief of the Ulkatcho First Nation; Patrick Michell, Chief of the Kanaka Bar Indian Band; Kathryn Harrison, UBC professor and former policy analyst for the U.S. Congress and Environment Canada; Eden Luymes, UBC masters student with a focus on climate justice and global governance; Tamara Vrooman, president and CEO of the Vancouver Airport Authority; and George Benson, managing director, Climate Displacement Planning Initiative. To learn more about the 20-member Climate Solutions Council and for a full list of member biographies, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/climatesolutionscouncil   https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022ENV0017-000459 Â
‘Radical’ Renewable Transition the Key to Fighting Energy, Climate Crises
From Common dreams: “Investing in new fossil fuel infrastructure will only lock in uneconomic practices, perpetuate existing risks, and increase the threats of climate change,” warned the head of IRENA. Tackling the current energy crisis in the short term and combating the climate emergency in the long term both require rapidly phasing out fossil fuels, a global group that promotes renewable energy said Tuesday. https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/03/29/radical-renewable-transition-key-fighting-energy-climate-crisesÂ
Memo to Climate Action Supporters Who Back the Convoy
From Robert Hackett, The Tyee: Yes, some do. Six reasons they probably shouldnât. https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2022/03/25/Memo-Climate-Action-Supporters-Who-Back-Convoy/
The Just Transition 2025 Press Conference
From 350.org: The year is 2025. The Climate Emergency Coalition Governmentâ sMinistry of Just Transition is holding its annual press conference to update the country on its progress implementing a bold agenda of climate action and Indigenous leadership. The video  features Anjali Appadurai, Seth Klein, Avi Lewis, Reuben George, Doreen Manuel, Christine Boyle, Alison Gu, Khalid Boudreau, and Kukpi7 Judy Wilson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnb7rRThr7o&t=0s The full text of the speeches is here: https://breachmedia.ca/the-year-is-2025-and-a-just-transition-has-transformed-canada%EF%BF%BC/Â
B.C.âs largest fossil fuel subsidy cost the province over $1B last year
From the National Observer: A B.C. program that has been referred to as a âtax loophole for fracking operatorsâ cost the province $1.162 billion in royalty revenues last year. Thatâs according to a Stand.earth analysis of the provinceâs 2021-22 budget. Sven Biggs, the organizationâs Canadian oil and gas program director, said the money lost through the Deep Well Royalty Credit program represents a broken promise from the provincial government. https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/03/28/news/bcs-largest-fossil-fuel-subsidy-cost-province-over-1b-last-yearÂ
 Why 2030 is an unforgiving deadline
From Gooderham Nathan: We only have nine more years to achieve deep emissions reductions. The UN Emissions Gap Report 2021 confronts us with the reality that, with only nine years remaining, the worldâs largest emitting countries are not remotely on track to achieve the very deep emissions reductions  required by 2030 to avoid the gravest impacts of climate breakdown. https://gooderhamnathan.com/nine-more-years-220324/Â
Scientists to Biden: World Needs ‘Rapid Transition From Fossil Fuels to Renewable Energy’
From Common Dreams: “Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm recently said ‘we are on war footing’ in calling for increased oil and gas production. This is backwards thinking.â Biologist Sandra Steingraberâwho is leading the effort with Peter Kalmus, Robert Howarth, Michael Mann, and Mark Jacobson in conjunction with Food & Water Watchâshared a link to the letter on Twitter Wednesday and urged fellow scientists to add their signatures. https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/03/30/scientists-biden-world-needs-rapid-transition-fossil-fuels-renewable-energyÂ
Climate Jobs
Jobs and Volunteer Opportunities in the Climate Movement
Climate Jobs
Communications & Policy Researcher to support the Fossil Fuel Ad-ban campaign
From CAPE: This is a summer position with potential to be renewed in what promises to be a very fun and exciting campaign launch. https://cape.ca/careers/Â
Study on climate change, emotions and coping – a Call for Youth aged 18-24
From Cat Abreu, Destination Zero: We are seeking participants who have led or organized a climate activist event; participated in a climate activist initiative; or who have not been involved or do not have a lot of knowledge about the climate crisis. The focus of our project is to evaluate how climate change affects young peopleâs emotional wellbeing in Canada. This study is led by Dr. Stefania Maggi (Carleton University). It involves one 60-minute focus group on Zoom with other young people, focused on how climate change makes you feel, and what you do to cope with these emotions. Participants will receive a $25.00 e-gift card or can donate it to a charity or climate initiative of your choice. Once we receive your submission, we will reach out to schedule a time for the focus group. https://carletonpsych.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_djtSACCiKJQZ1siÂ
Indigenous Climate Action Research Manager
From Indigenous Climate Action (ICA): We are looking for someone who is ambitious, personable and passionately committed to true Indigenous Climate Justice to serve as its Research Manager. Work from home, priority to Indigenous people who live in so-called Canada. https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com/careersÂ
Decolonizing Climate Policy Researcher
From Indigenous Climate Action (ICA): We are looking for someone who is ambitious, personable and passionately committed to true Indigenous Climate Justice to serve as its Decolonizing Climate Policy Researcher. Work from home, priority to Indigenous people who live in so-called Canada. https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com/careersÂ
Youth Engagement Coordinator
From Indigenous Climate Action (ICA): We are looking for someone with passion, who enjoys working on a team, setting precedents, and is committed to true Indigenous Climate Justice to serve as its Youth Engagement Coordinator. Work from home, priority to Indigenous people who live in so-called Canada. https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com/careersÂ
Finance Assistant – By April 5th
From Indigenous Climate Action (ICA): We are looking for someone who is good with numbers and financial information, has meticulous attention to detail, enjoys working on a team, and is committed to Indigenous Climate Justice to serve as its Finance Assistant. Please submit your resume and a cover letter or any inquiries to finance@indigenousclimateaction.com.Â
Riding Organizer: West VancouverâSunshine CoastâSea to Sky Country NDP
From Avi Lewis: In 2021, the NDP surged in this coastal riding. Avi Lewis ran as a Green New Deal/Climate Justice NDP candidate, nearly doubling the percentage by winning 7,000 more votes than in 2019. The riding association is now hiring a Riding Organizer, who will be responsible for day-to-day voter identification, outreach and capacity-building for the next federal election. This is a 12-week renewable contract for 25 hours/week. The position cannot be done remotely – candidates need to be based in the riding of West VancouverâSunshine CoastâSea to Sky Country, or at least in the city of Vancouver. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ODrj8IU-f_zrVQuEZiyy4x7pRp6iltFo/viewÂ
BC Government climate-related jobs
https://bcpublicservice.hua.hrsmart.com/hr/ats/JobSearch/searchÂ
Clean Energy Canada Program Director
From Clean Energy Canada: We are seeking experienced leader to direct Clean Energy Canadaâs policy team. You are a strategic thinker, grounded in public policy, and up for the task of maintaining and advancing our high standards for research, analysis, policy perspectives, and communications. https://cleanenergycanada.org/job-posting-program-director/Â
Calling all Sustainability-Driven Entrepreneurs and Innovators
From Synergy Foundation Project Zero: Applications are now open for the 2022 Project Zero Incubator Program. Do you have an innovative product or service that contributes to the circular economy? If yes, then we have the program for you! https://mailchi.mp/53e5f8929664/project-zero-incubator-now-accepting-applicationsÂ
Climate Reality Project Volunteer Regional Organizer
From Climate Reality Project Canada: We are seeking a volunteer Regional Organizer for the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. Regional Organizers are the backbone of the Community Climate Hubs network, helping to organize citizen-led climate action groups, build partnerships with local groups, and lead local campaigns. Selected candidates will be informed on a rolling basis starting January 17th. https://theclimaterealityproject.app.box.com/s/0rgyg9thzi50kprju3n3obyhx3xpzis1Â
Communications Coordinator
From the BC Mining Law Reform Network: Do you want to be an integral part of a dynamic and creative network working for environmental and social justice in solidarity with Indigenous peoples and mining-affected communities in British Columbia? https://reformbcmining.ca/news/2021/08/were-hiring-communications-coordinator-opportunity/Â
Legally-Minded Climate Volunteers Wanted
From the Sabin Center: Climate litigation is exponentially growing worldwide, and the Sabin Center is building a network of scholars who can act as national rapporteurs to inform our global climate litigation database. We need volunteers who will analyze current cases in the Sabin Centerâs database to see if there are any missing cases, update the Sabin Center, and help identify any relevant documents related to climate litigation. If you are interested, please fill out this form. Questions? Contact Maria Antonia Tigre, mb4913@columbia.eduÂ
The BC Community Climate Funding Guide
From CleanBC: A simpler way for local governments and Indigenous communities to find funding for their climate action projects. Maybe youâre 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. https://communityclimatefunding.gov.bc.ca/local-governments/Â
Work to Grow
Created in partnership with Parks Canada, Work to Grow connects racialized youth to jobs that promote or protect nature and offers funds of up to 50% of wages for individuals employed through the program. Weâre looking for partners offering meaningful work for the next generation of nature lovers. Thereâs still time for organizations to get involved for the Fall and Winter terms! Do you know an organization or youth that could benefit? https://naturecanada.ca/news/press-releases/nature-canada-launches-work-to-grow-program/Â
Indigenous Climate Action Youth Wellness Honorarium
From Indigenous Climate Action: The Youth Wellness Honorarium pilot program helps Indigenous Youth who are taking on the ancestral work of land, air and water protection on the frontlines – or through climate justice organizing – in finding pathways to nurture their wellness. 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. The Honorarium is a $250 financial award. https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com/entries/indigenous-youth-mental-wellness-honorariumÂ
Please consider donating to support WE-CAN, to help us in our work.
https://westcoastclimateaction.ca/donate-to-we-can/Â