The U.S. Department of Defense is incorporating climate analysis into its policy and strategic planning. “We will include the security implications of climate change in our risk analyses, strategy development, and planning guidance,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed. [node:read-more:link]
The symbolic Doomsday Clock remains 100 seconds shy of midnight in what The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists Humanity said Jan. 27 is confirmation that the world is still is perilously close to apocalypse. They said that the threats presented by climate change nuclear weapons has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. [node:read-more:link]
As in Internal Combustion Engine! General Motors Corp. says it will phase out ICEs in its veicles by 2035 as well as going completely carbon neutral. “We encourage others to follow suit and make a significant impact on our industry and on the economy as a whole,” Chief Executive Officer Mary Barr said Jan. 28. [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star is back at its Seattle base after the first winter deployment of a U.S. government surface vessel since 1982. The only U.S. icebreaker rated for “heavy” ice, it transited the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea into the Chukchi Sea. [node:read-more:link]
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden used their first bilateral meeting to promise an “ambitious new partnership roadmap, based on shared values and priorities” as their governments address climate change, the post-pandemic world and China’s detention of two Canadians in December 2019. “Job One remains keeping people safe,” the PM said today after the virtual meeting. [node:read-more:link]
Climate change and Chinese expansionism have been identified as key Arctic challenges by the Acting Chief of the Defence Staff, LGen Wayne Eyre, in a note to Canadian Armed Forces personnel. “Various trends such as climate change, increased interest in the Arctic, and challenges to our national resilience . . . are driving change in how we conceptualize national defence,” he wrote. [node:read-more:link]
Canada has signed on to a multinational accord aimed at improving the strategic implications of climate change in polar regions. The other parties are Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the U.S. [node:read-more:link]
Health Canada has released numerous reports on topics related to Climate Change and Health, including water safety and a Heat Alert Guidebook. For a compendium, check this web site. [node:read-more:link]
(2014 update) Our understanding of climate change impacts and adaptation has improved, both as a result of new research and through experience. Led by Natural Resources Canada, the development of this report involved over 90 authors and 115 expert reviewers. [node:read-more:link]
The Canada Energy Regulator suggests that the federal government’s goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 will require a more aggressive shift away from oil and gas. It says in its latest annual Energy Futures report that petroleum is likely to account for nearly two-thirds of Canada’s energy sources three decades hence. [node:read-more:link]
Draft legislation introduced in Parliament Nov. 19 would set legally-binding greenhouse gas emissions targets over the next 30 years, but it doesn’t specify what those targets might be. If passed, Bill C-12 would require the federal environment minister to set five-year targets from 2030 through to 2050, the government’s stated target for achieving net-zero emissions. [node:read-more:link]
The European Space Agency is going ahead with a satellite constellation which will monitor global carbon dioxide emissions. European ministers who oversee national science budgets have approved €14.4-billion over the next five years for the project, which the ESA says also will pave the way for more Moon and Mars missions. [node:read-more:link]
The marine transport industry accounts for a reported three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, including sulphur dioxide and methane. A Belgian company is leading the way to greener operations with a small hydrogen-fuelled vessel. [node:read-more:link]
The Amery Ice Shelf in Antarctica has calved its largest iceberg in more than 50 years, a 1,636km 2 block which must be monitored as a potential hazard for shipping in the South Atlantic. The third largest ice shelf on the continent, Amery is a key drainage channel. [node:read-more:link]
Italy has installed a radar system on its side of Mont Blanc in the Alps where there are concerns about 250,000 cubic metres of a glacier breaking off above a popular tourist area. The installation on the Planpincieux glacier provides constant data on sub-millimetre movements. [node:read-more:link]
