The California Air Resources Board, an environmental bellwether within the U.S. and elsewhere, has unveiled regulations designed to prohibit the sale of new gasoline-fuelled cars and light trucks by 2035. [node:read-more:link]
An estimated 4.34 million cubic meters of natural gas is being flared daily by Russia at a new Gazprom liquification plant near its border with Finland even as it threatens to limits shipments to Europe this winter. The burn-off is considered an “environmental disaster” as it emits some 9,000 tons of carbon dioxide a day. [node:read-more:link]
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is in the Canadian North this week for an unprecedented tour of defence installations. Officials say the visit is meant to highlight that the region is a security priority, in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and issues related to climate change. [node:read-more:link]
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced today that Japan will restart more idled nuclear plants as it considers next-generation reactors and sustainable options, a decade after the Fukushima disaster saw the country’s nuclear industry shut down. He also said officials had been instructed to come up with plans by year’s end, including how to gain “the understanding of the public” of such a major policy shift. [node:read-more:link]
Three well-known incidents highlight key aspects from which to learn from failure and then improve resilience. Approaching global uncertainty is not unlike going into battle with an unknown adversary. However, there are “known” unknowns, and while recognizing them makes them no less daunting, it does help to better understand the battle space. [node:read-more:link]
A record-breaking drought in much of Europe and Britain is causing major supply problems for electricity utilities. Hydroelectric generation has fallen by some 20 per cent since 2021 and output from nuclear power stations, which rely heavily on river or lake water for cooling, is down 12 per cent. A major environmental downside is that coal-fired stations’ output has risen by 11 per cent. [node:read-more:link]
The federal government is being urged by a coalition of environmental groups to reject proposals to build liquefied natural gas export terminals in Atlantic Canada on ground the projects would result in “climate-wrecking” emissions. The activists also say there are financial risks association with megaprojects which could take years to complete. [node:read-more:link]
Reacting to U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s brief visit to Taiwan earlier this week, China says it is ending discussions with the U.S. on key issues such as climate change as it ramps up military provocations. The White House summoned China's ambassador, Qin Gang, late August 4 to tell him that the military actions were of “concern to Taiwan, to us and to our partners around the world.” [node:read-more:link]
Environment & Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault says the federal government could give the petroleum more time to meet 2030 carbon emissions reduction targets. “I'm not saying today it's necessarily going to be 2032, but the companies have said it could be 10 years,” he said on the weekend. The oil and natural gas industries accounted for 26 per cent of emissions in 2019. [node:read-more:link]
Americans remained deeply divided on how to slow climate change that scientists say is driving much of the extreme weather seen in many parts of the world. Recently-released results of a national poll by the Washington-based Pew Research Center found that while 49 per cent of respondents agree that the administration’s policies are appropriate, 47 per cent disagreed. Also, while a majority might acknowledge climate change, there’s disagreement on the causes and potential solutions. [node:read-more:link]
The federal government’s push for a new emissions cap for the petroleum industry threatens the industry and thousands of workers nationwide, says Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage. “I’m a little amazed by the timing of it,” she says. “It’s tone deaf from the federal government to be pushing this at a time when the world is looking for more energy. And it’s looking like in Europe, they’re going to be rationing natural gas over the winter.” [node:read-more:link]
Temperatures continued to soar throughout much of Western Europe today after Britain recorded a record 40.2 degrees July 17. Extreme heat warnings have been issued in France, record temperatures were reported in The Netherlands, and wildfires have been spreading in France, Greece, Portugal and Spain. [node:read-more:link]
Dozens of wildfires in Western Canada, including one near a B.C. community devastated by a fire in 2021, are being blamed on continued warm dry weather. Manitoba has reported 45 blazes [node:read-more:link]
The commander of the U.S. Coast Guard said July 14 that her service needs to beef up its icebreaker capability to counter growing Russian and Chinese activities in the North. “We are an Arctic nation,” Admiral Linda Fagan pointed out to a congressional committee. “Getting the capability and capacity to create an enduring presence in the Arctic, in the waters off Alaska, are absolutely a priority.” Russia has more than 40 icebreakers and China, hoping to exploit a longer ice-free season, has declared itself a “near-arctic power.” [node:read-more:link]
A proposed 233-kilometre transmission line to carry Quebec hydroelectricity to Massachusetts is facing a legal challenge in a Maine court 18 months after construction began. Even though it has the potential to eliminate three million tonnes of carbon emissions annually, the $1-billion project funded by Hydro-Quebec and Spanish-owned Central Maine Power was vetoed in a Maine referendum last November. [node:read-more:link]
