Climate Change and Canadian Public Policy: Adaptation

The Institute of Public Administration of Canada and the Embassy of Germany present Dr. Günther Bachmann at the IPAC conference “Climate Change and Canadian Public Policy: Adaptation"

Oct 29, 2008, Le Meridien King Edward Hotel, Toronto

Dr. Bachmann has been Director of the German Council for Sustainable Development since its establishment in 2001 and has emphasized "creative ways to communicate our common challenge" to the public and to governments. The Council is an independent body of 17 representatives from environmental NGOs, consumer groups, churches, trade unions, local communities, economists and scientists, that champion sustainability at all levels of government and in the private sector.

Wednesday October 29, 2008, 12:00 noon – 2:00 pm, Le Meridien King Edward Hotel, Toronto. Tickets $75,-

For more information go to the conference's website:

http://www.ipac.ca/ClimateChange2008/index

Climate Scientists Plead with Green Party Supporters in Key Ridings to Vote Strategically

Three of Canada's leading climate scientists say that Green Party supporters can help to defeat the Conservatives in this election by voting strategically in 121 key ridings. They are calling on Green Party Leader Elizabeth May to make a clear statement supporting this approach.

The scientists are Dr. Andrew Weaver from the University of Victoria, Dr. William Peltier from the University of Toronto and Dr. John Stone from Carleton University.

Based on the latest polls, they say that:

• In 81 ridings, Green Party supporters can help to defeat the Conservative candidate who is currently leading.
• In 40 additional ridings, Green Party supporters can help to ensure that a Conservative does not overtake the current leading candidate at the last moment.

We list the ridings in each category, plus the information sources, below.

We agree that it is about time that Elizabeth May reconsidered her position on strategic voting. On September 30, 2008, she was quoted as opposing strategic voting despite admitting that,

"'We are too close to the edge of a global apocalypse,' [...] 'We have got to grab the opportunities we have. And clearly the contribution Canadians can make to a global solution is to get rid of Stephen Harper.' [...]

"'I'd rather have no Green seats and Stephen Harper lose.'"

On October 8, 2008, she seemed to recommend strategic voting in key ridings, but on October 9, 2008, she come out strongly against any strategic voting because

"I want Canadians to elect Green MPs."

No wonder that as of October 11, 2008, some of her supporters still sounded confused by May's stance.

We agree with the scientists. We think that Elizabeth May should change her position. She should keep it simple by saying,

"Vote for Green Party candidates everywhere except the ridings where you can help to guarantee a Conservative loss by voting strategically."

Preventing a Conservative win in this election is important for stopping dangerous climate change. This goes beyond any party loyalty, personal ambition, time and effort invested Green Party candidates and supporters or party funding issues.

Update: we agree with greenpolitics.ca about the need to

"...remind greens and Green parties everywhere of the philosophical principles of Green politics should they inadvertently be lead astray by the lure of power, money, glamor, or fame."

We hope that Green Party supporters and the Party Leader, of all people, would understand that some personal sacrifice is justified when the planet's future is at stake.

Still, it should not be up to supporters of one party alone to help defeat the Conservatives by voting strategically. We encourage all progressive voters to check the more general list of key ridings where strategic voting by anyone who is opposed to the Conservatives can make a difference.

Ridings where Green Party supporters can help to defeat the Conservative candidate who is currently leading (in alphabetic order):

• Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale
• Barrie
• Blackstrap
• Brant
• Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound
• Burlington
• Burnaby—New Westminster
• Cambridge
• Cariboo—Prince George
• Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia
• Chatham-Kent—Essex
• Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River / Desnethé—Missinippi—Rivière Churchill
• Durham
• Edmonton Centre / Edmonton-Centre
• Edmonton—Strathcona
• Elgin—Middlesex—London
• Essex
• Fleetwood—Port Kells
• Glengarry—Prescott—Russell
• Haldimand—Norfolk
• Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock
• Halton
• Huron—Bruce
• Jonquière—Alma
• Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo
• Kildonan—St. Paul
• Kitchener—Conestoga
• Lambton—Kent—Middlesex
• Lévis—Bellechasse
• London West / London-Ouest
• Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière
• Mégantic—L'Érable
• Nanaimo—Alberni
• NB - Fundy Royal
• NB - Tobique—Mactaquac
• New Westminster—Coquitlam
• Newmarket—Aurora
• Newton—North Delta / Newton—Delta-Nord
• Niagara Falls
• NL - Avalon
• NL - St. John's East / St. John's-Est
• NL - St. John's South—Mount Pearl / St. John's-Sud Mount Pearl
• North Vancouver
• Northumberland—Quinte West
• Nova / Nova-Ouest
• NS - Central Nova / Nova-Centre*
• Oakville
• Okanagan—Shuswap
• Oshawa
• Ottawa West—Nepean / Ottawa-Ouest—Nepean
• Ottawa—Orléans
• Oxford
• Palliser
• Parry Sound—Muskoka
• Perth—Wellington
• Peterborough
• Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission
• Pontiac
• Prince Albert
• Prince Edward—Hastings
• Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre
• Regina—Qu'Appelle
• Richmond
• Richmond Hill
• Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean
• Sarnia—Lambton
• Saskatoon—Humboldt
• Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar
• Saskatoon—Wanuskewin
• Selkirk—Interlake
• Simcoe North / Simcoe-Nord
• Simcoe—Grey
• St. Catharines
• Sud—Mount Pearl
• Vancouver Island North / Île de Vancouver-Nord
• Vancouver Quadra
• Victoria
• West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country
• Whitby—Oshawa
• Winnipeg South / Winnipeg-Sud
• York—Simcoe

* In NS Central Nova, where Elizabeth May is running, the detailed analysis table (source below) shows the Greens as the second place party. The VoteForEnvironment.ca strategic voting choice is to vote Green.

Ridings where Green Party supporters can help to ensure that a Conservative does not overtake the current leading candidate at the last moment (in alphabetic order):

• Beauport—Limoilou
• Brampton West / Brampton-Ouest
• Burnaby—Douglas
• Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles
• Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca
• Etobicoke—Lakeshore
• Kenora
• London—Fanshawe
• Louis-Hébert
• Mississauga South / Mississauga-Sud
• Mississauga—Erindale
• Mississauga—Streetsville
• NB - Fredericton
• NB - Madawaska—Restigouche
• NB - Miramichi
• NB - Saint John
• NL - Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor
• NL - Labrador
• NL - Random—Burin—St. George's
• NS - Kings—Hants
• NS - South Shore—St. Margaret's
• Nunavut
• Oak Ridges—Markham
• Ottawa South / Ottawa-Sud
• PE - Cardigan
• PE - Charlottetown
• PE - Egmont
• PE - Malpeque
• Saanich—Gulf Islands
• Saint Boniface / Saint-Boniface
• Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot
• Surrey North / Surrey-Nord
• Thunder Bay—Rainy River
• Vancouver Kingsway
• Vancouver South / Vancouver-Sud
• Welland
• Western Arctic
• Willowdale
• Winnipeg South Centre / Winnipeg-Centre-Sud
• Yukon

Sources:

Scientists' Press Release quoted in the voteforenvironment.ca blog.

Detailed riding-by-riding analysis table (PDF).

[Important Notice]

Key Ridings - Strategic Vote to Save the Climate

As we've said before, we think that it's vitally important to vote strategically to get the most climate-friendly MPs in Parliament. The polls show that the election race is tighter than it was at the start of the campaign. Strategic voting is becoming more and more viable. Here is a list of the key ridings from www.voteforenvironment.ca, with links to their recommended candidates and reasoning:

• Ancaster--Dundas--Flamborough--Westdale
• Beauport--Limoilou
• Brant
• Central Nova
• Charlesbourg--Haute-Saint-Charles
• Desnethé--Missinippi--Churchill River
• Edmonton Centre
• Edmonton--Strathcona
• Essex
• Etobicoke--Lakeshore
• Fleetwood--Port Kells
• Fredericton
• Gaspésie--Îles-de-la-Madeleine
• Guelph
• Halton
• Hull--Aylmer
• Huron--Bruce
• Kamloops--Thompson--Cariboo
• Kenora
• Kitchener Centre
• London West
• London--Fanshawe
• Louis-Hébert
• Madawaska--Restigouche
• Miramichi
• Mississauga South
• Mississauga--Erindale
• Mississauga--Streetsville
• Nanaimo--Alberni
• New Westminster--Coquitlam
• Newmarket--Aurora
• Newton--North Delta
• Niagara Falls
• Nipissing--Timiskaming
• North Vancouver
• Northumberland--Quinte West
• Oak Ridges--Markham
• Oakville
• Oshawa
• Ottawa South
• Ottawa West--Nepean
• Palliser
• Parry Sound--Muskoka
• Peterborough
• Pontiac
• Québec
• Random--Burin--St. George's
• Regina--Qu'Appelle
• Richmond
• Saanich--Gulf Islands
• Saint Boniface
• Saint John
• Saint-Hyacinthe--Bagot
• Saint-Maurice--Champlain
• Saskatoon--Rosetown--Biggar
• South Shore--St. Margaret's
• St. Catharines
• St. John's South--Mount Pearl
• Surrey North
• Thunder Bay--Superior North
• Tobique--Mactaquac
• Vancouver Island North
• Vancouver Quadra
• Welland
• West Nova
• West Vancouver--Sunshine Coast--Sea to Sky Country
• Winnipeg South

Vote on environmental issues, scientists urge

More support for strategic voting!

TheStar.com - Vote on environmental issues, scientists urge:

"More than 120 of Canada's top climate scientists have signed an open letter criticizing Conservative government policy and urging Canadians to vote 'strategically' for the environment in next week's federal election.

'Global warming is the defining issue of our time,' said Andrew Weaver, a lead author with last year's Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change."

Here is the link to the original letter, and some quotes (emphasis added):

We have been disturbed by what we perceive to be a lack of attention to the environment during this election campaign. While it’s clear the public accepts that global warming is a threat, it seems people have simply no idea how serious this issue is. Global warming is without a doubt the defining issue of our time, and we cannot let economic turmoil in the USA dissuade us from addressing the problem. Dealing with the environment means dealing with economics in a sustainable way.

Global warming is a problem that must be dealt with now, before it’s too late. Any further delay will only increase the risks of damage and costs of action. The world needs to start down a path of greenhouse gas reduction to avert the most serious consequences of global warming. Many may not realize that even if we immediately stabilized atmospheric greenhouse gases at current levels, the Arctic would still go ice free in the summer, between 10% and 25% of the world’s species would still be committed to extinction, and weather will continue to become more extreme.

Economists around the world agree. There is only one way to deal with global warming. And that is to put a price on emissions. This can be done through either a carbon tax, a cap and trade system, or both.

The carbon tax provides price certainty, is easier to implement, more transparent, easy to make revenue-neutral and less open to abuse. Cap and trade systems require self-regulation and reporting, cumbersome bureaucracy to administer and take a long time to implement while details, such as credit for early action, process of awarding emissions permits, and reporting requirements get worked out.

In both cases the price is passed on to the consumer through an increase in the price of carbon-intensive products. In the carbon tax case the consumer sees what price is added whereas it is obscured in the cap and trade system.

Visit VoteForEnvironment.ca

Halton Solar Fair, Saturday October 4

Copied from an email sent by the Halton Environmental Network, which is organizing home owners who want to install solar systems (solar thermal or photovoltaic) in Halton region (Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Georgetown areas). (We hope to install a solar water heater at our house.)

The Halton Environmental Network (HEN) is organizing a Solar Fair for Saturday, October 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The Fair will be held in the Auditorium of the Halton Regional Centre, 1151 Bronte Road (Regional Road 25) in Oakville, just north of the QEW.

Eight solar vendors will be displaying and discussing their solar water heating and photovoltaic (solar electricity) systems.

The first series of public meetings for the HRSP is currently underway, with meetings last week in Oakville and Burlington drawing a total of 175 attendees. Upcoming meetings are scheduled for Wed. Oct. 1 at the Milton Sports Centre and Thurs. Oct. 2 at the Georgetown Cultural Centre. Both meetings start at 7:00 p.m.

The Solar Fair on Oct. 4 is a follow-up to the evening meeting series, but people who could not attend the evening meetings are welcome to attend.

An information session will run from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., including an overview of solar power and the HRSP. Guest speaker will be Ken Traynor of the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-op (TREC). Traynor was a key organizer of the West Toronto Initiative for Solar Energy (WISE), which saw 86 solar systems installed in one ward of Toronto in 2007.

The opportunity to hear from vendors will come from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Attendees will be able to move around the room from vendor presentation to vendor presentation every 10 minutes. There will be time for questions.

Energy advisors will also be on hand at the Solar Fair to enable people to sign up for home energy audits. An audit by a qualified energy advisor is required in order to receive more than $1,000 in rebates for solar hot water systems.

For more information on the Halton Residential Solar Project, visit halton.ourpower.ca.

How to vote strategically to stop dangerous climate change

In the Globe today, their analysts were talking about the vote split on the centre-left. Greg Lyle (a pollster) was down on strategic voting, saying that "The problem with this strategy is that it is just not realistic. Many voters, particularly swing voters, do not have the information they need to make this choice."

A new website can fill the information gap: http://www.voteforenvironment.ca/
They figure out if strategic voting would make a difference in defeating the Conservatives in your riding -- and then recommend who to vote for.

This site's methodology is a bit different from the other site that tries to do this, http://www.voteforclimate.ca/, but the recommendation for our riding happens to be the same from both sites.

Check out both of these sites. Do your own research. Think about the future of your children, grandchildren (or any child that you know). Think about the risk of wasting the next 48 months (out of the 99 months that we may have left to avert climate disaster) with a climate-hostile government. Then go out and vote to defeat the Conservatives!

How We Enjoyed Earth Hour

BlogThis!

After explaining to our three-year old daughter Emma the concept of Earth Hour and when it would be, she quickly came up with several suggestions of "quiet" things to do when we turned off the lights. (I'm not sure why she decided they had to be quiet things, but given that Earth Hour also coincided with her bedtime, we didn't object.) After supper she started asking if Earth Hour was here yet, and I showed her the clock and explained how much time was left. By 7:45 she couldn't wait any longer and so we started early.

First, we turned on our recently-purchased LED solar lanterns (designed for gardens, the ones with flat bases also work well if you bring them indoors at night), an older candle lantern, and a battery-operated lantern (with incandescent bulb - a genuine 20th century camping item!). The battery lantern was a hit, because we felt that it was safe enough to let Emma carry it around the house. (Yes, we will need to find one that takes rechargeable batteries and hopefully uses efficient LED bulbs.)

Emma said we could get many more solar lanterns, which was a good time to mention that Earth Hour was about seeing how much light (and other stuff) we really need, rather than always using more. That may have been the most educational moment.

Then, we made sure that all of the lights were turned off in each room, and that the TV, computer and other optional appliances were off (including their power bars!).

Emma had suggested doing puzzles, so I suggested she pick one out from her large collection. The first one she choose is a simple one for younger children, where you have to fit individual puzzle pieces with pictures of animals into cutouts on a wooden board. We each closed our eyes, attempted to identify the pieces and then fit them in with our eyes still closed. Surprisingly challenging for those who are used to relying on sight.

Then, we laid out a blanket in the living room floor and had a small picnic. Emma made everyone cozy by bringing out a bunch of cushions to sit on.

After puzzles and the picnic, it was bedtime. But first we looked out the window to see if our neighbours also had their lights off -- many of them did. We tried to find stars and managed to locate Sirius and the constellation Orion. Then, we did PJs, stories, and turned out the lantern.

All-in-all, it was a successful evening, and I'm sure we'll get requests for repeat performances! (It was also a good way to test our preparedness for emergencies like a power black-out :-)

Hope everyone else had fun too!

Discuss this on your own Blogger blog! Click here for a permalink in the Address Bar > highlight any text for quoting > click BlogThis!

Tim Flannery & Bridget Stutchbury to Speak in Toronto

I wish I could attend this event - it sounds great!



A Focus on the Environment

Tim Flannery and Bridget Stutchbury
The Weathermakers: The History and Future Impact of Climate Change

Speaking at the Bloor Cinema ~ 506 Bloor Street
April 3rd, 2008
Doors open at 6:30 pm ~ Lecture begins at 7:00 pm
Followed by book signing ~ Books available for purchase

Tickets are $25
General Admission
Purchase tickets online at www.rsgc.on.ca

World renown explorer, conservationist and writer-scientist, Tim Flannery has written many bestselling books, including The Future Eaters, The Eternal Frontier and of course the #1 international bestseller The Weather Makers. Tim Flannery was director of the South Australia Museum and professor at Harvard and the University of Adelaide. He was voted Australian of the year in 2006 and is now professor at Maquarie University. His new book, An Explorer's Notebook, Essays on Life, History and Climate, will publish in Canada Spring 2008.

Short-listed for the 2007 Governor General's award for non-fiction, Silence of the Songbirds follows birds on their 10,000-kilometer journey from Canada to South America, and charts the threats. Tim Flannery claims, "this book is a must-read for anyone whose heart has thrilled to the song of a bird." Author Bridget Stutchbury completed her PhD at Yale , was a fellow and research associate at the Smithsonian and is now an Associate Professor of Biology at York University.

BlogThis!

Discuss this on your own Blogger blog! Click here for a permalink in the Address Bar > highlight any text for quoting > click BlogThis!

Happy Earth Day!

What a beautiful Earth Day weekend this is. We spent yesterday helping at our local Earth Day cleanup. Today we'll be going to the Toronto rally at Metro Hall. There's also a rally in Ottawa today. Or, visit Earth Day Canada to find an event near you.

For other ideas to help yourself, your family, and the planet this Earth Day (or any day), see:

Our Carbon Emissions Reduction Actions in 2006

How much electricity do you use?

Reduce, reuse, recycle, and compost - why it's important!

Tim Flannery's "11 Realistic Ways You Can Help Reduce Global Warming"

11 Realistic Ways You Can Help Reduce Global Warming - Part 2

Slowing the electricity leak - or how to save 10% or more on your electricity bill!

Climate change forum in Oakville tomorrow

I'm a bit late on this, but I only just found out about it:

A Free, Public Forum on Global Warming
Saturday, APRIL 14, 2007
@ 7:30 pm
at St John’s United Church, 262 Randall Street, in downtown Oakville; chaired by Mayor Robert Burton.

Climate change and global warming are major concerns for Canadians. The recent February 2007 Report by the United Nations International Committee on Climate Change has confirmed that we can expect extremely disruptive consequences for our planet’s environment unless this issue is resolutely dealt with.

Sponsored by the Oakville Centre for Peace, Ecology and Human Rights.

Upcoming Climate Change Actions

I just received an email from the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition about some upcoming actions in Ottawa. Also scroll to the bottom for a Toronto event.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(1) April 13, Ottawa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

People concerned about global warming (people not necessarily affiliated with the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition... but we still thought you should know) will be going to the Environment Minister John Baird's constituency office on Fri. Apr. 13.

From 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. they'll hold large banners that read "Kyoto Now" for all the passing cars to see.

At 9:30 a.m. they'll head inside to Baird's office to deliver the following message: "Canadians want the government to pass the new and improved Bill C-30 into law, a.s.a.p."

His office is located at 2249 Carling Ave. (in the west end of Ottawa), to see how to get there on the bus, visit this website: http://www.octranspo.com/tps/jnot/startEN.oci

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(2) April 15, Ottawa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday night Sleepover at Stephen's on Sussex, 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 15th at 24 Sussex Drive

That's right, we're going to Camp out for the Climate on Sunday, April 15th on the curb in front of the Prime Minister's residence at 24 Sussex Drive.
Parliament returns from the Easter Break on Mon. Apr. 16 and we need to send a message to Stephen Harper that Canadians demand that he pass the new and improved Bill C-30 into law.

We'll sleep under the stars (make sure to bring lots of warm clothes, a sleeping
bag (or two), food and water) and then wake up with the sun on Monday morning to unfurl a huge banner that says "Kyoto Now", which hundreds of people driving by that morning will definitely honk their horns at in support.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(3) April 22, Ottawa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Earth Day rally on Parliament Hill Sunday April 22nd at 2 p.m.

We're aiming to get at least 1,000 people on Parliament Hill for this event, invite all your friends, family and any one else you think will be interested.

More information is available here, http://www.ourclimate.ca

If you'd like to volunteer to help make this Earth Day event a success, write to ottawa@ourclimate.ca


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(4) April 22, Toronto
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also found this notice on their web site:

RECLAIM EARTH DAY
SUNDAY, APRIL 22, 1PM
METRO HALL SQUARE (King and John)

Send a WAKE-UP CALL on the CLIMATE CRISIS

Bring a bell to ring!

DEMAND:
Kyoto at a minumum
30% greenhouse gas reductions by 2020
Comprehensive, just, green energy and economic strategy

Followed by a street festival on John Street
3PM–6PM

This event is endorsed by the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, Climate Action Network, Greenpeace Canada, Stop Climate Chaos Coalition, Sierra Youth Coalition, Sierra Club, Council of Canadians, Ontario Federation of Labour, Streets are for People, CUPW, Toronto Environmental Alliance, CUPE Ontario, Alliance for Social Change and more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you know of other upcoming events, please leave a comment.

Step It Up 2007 Canada

You've probably heard of the Step It Up 2007 campaign in the US. I just found a site promoting Step It Up in Canada!

I think it's a great idea. If anybody is planning any actions on April 14th, let me know and I'll post them here!

Bill McKibben
Step It Up is organized by Bill McKibben. I recently heard him speak on a podcast of NPR's OnPoint. He also has a column in last month's Ecologist, about how we can stop global warming and be happy too. (Which is great, because I just read Heat, and am now really depressed.)

McKibben's latest book is called Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future. It's on my reading list.

LEADERSHIP/ORGANIZING OPPORTUNITY

I subscribe to a listserv called Good Work, which emails job opportunities "in environment, sustainable living, organics, peace and related themes".

Here's a recent posting I thought worth repeating:

Position: Change Organizer/Networker/Catalyst
Organization: you, together with other individuals, groups & organizations
Location: your city, province or state
Apply to: yourself, your friends, local groups, your community

"A five-day march by hundreds of Vermonters calling
for real action to address the climate crisis... Bill
McKibben, who trekked all 50 miles, reports that the
event changed Vermont politics -- and made him feel more
hopeful than he has in nearly 20 years of climate activism."

Full story from Grist magazine

Bill McKibben is the author of The End of Nature (which was recently re-printed, and I am currently reading). His story of this march is very inspiring. If the Tories don't come up with something worthwhile soon, I think we should all march to Ottawa! Anybody else up for a trip???