Climate change

UBC professor studies 362 restaurant menus in Vancouver to show how climate change has affected seafood.

Cheung said that sardine preferred warmer waters, but the fishery had been overfished in the 1940s and hadn’t recovered. “However, it is a likely explanation that the warmer waters are contributing to the increasing appearance of Humboldt squid on menus.” However, other studies have confirmed that this type of squid is now more common in B.C. waters. An earlier 2018 UBC study found that as much as 25 per cent of seafood sold in Metro Vancouver is mislabelled. What they found was the preferred temperatures for seafood from Vancouver menus increased from around 10.7 C between 1880 and 1960 to around 13.8 C for the 2019-to-2021 period — a change of 3.1 C. They also looked at 148 present-day menus in Anchorage and Los Angeles.

Prof. Dana Fisher examines how — and whether — ordinary people can make an impact on the global problem through activism.

At the same time, we have this history of stewardship of the land and the idea of how to give back to the land and give back to other people is built into the Jewish tradition. To take a stand as Jews is important in terms of representation and also important when we think about movement-building. I grew up in a mildly Conservative to Reform family so we were very much like a standard kind of progressive northeastern Jewish American family. In and of itself, getting arrested is relatively resource-intensive, and it doesn’t have a positive effect on mitigating climate change. Some activist groups might be less excited about the kind of work that I want to do because it will tell a better picture, but it may also redirect tactics in ways that may not get too much media attention. I was brought in as what’s called a contributing author, which is the lowest level of author and we’re frequently brought in when a chapter’s authors recognize that something’s missing and needs to be added. People power like that can take advantage of what constituents, say American Jews, already care about, and use them to pressure these economic interests to make sure they follow through on their commitments. One of the things I have been doing is with the folks trying to build the Civilian Climate Corps. When people do service work to try to help the environment, how do we measure what that means? There are a small number of studies that have tried to do that. Climate change is a process that is changing the physical world, but it’s having a huge impact on society, affecting migration, refugees, and so forth. The Arctic has warmed twice as fast as the rest of the world since 1988. Her insights might not make some activists in the climate movement happy.

Over the past number of months, extreme weather, wildfires, and other events have brought the immediacy of the climate emergency to light –both in BC, ...

A range of strategies and tools are needed to reduce the associated health harms, and British Columbia’s doctors are uniquely positioned in these efforts. Physicians can play a valuable role in communicating the population health impacts of climate change, as well as contributing to strategies to reduce potential harms. Over the past number of months, extreme weather, wildfires, and other events have brought the immediacy of the climate emergency to light –both in BC, and on a global scale.

How much do your actions as an individual matter when it comes to climate? The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change from the ...

The scientists nod to the climate strikes that have given voice to youth in more than 180 countries, which help build social trust and citizen-led networks. In a school cafeteria or restaurant, the way a menu or choices are presented can make a difference in how people decide what to eat. Offering households a financial reward for energy efficiency had the biggest effect; after that, providing consumers with more information on their energy usage, and a benchmark to compare it to, also had a measurable medium-sized effect over the short-term period that most of these studies covered. “To those of us who are in that privileged category, we have a huge responsibility to respond and to do all that we can to immediately solve this problem,” Creutzig said. That’s the scale that we can really engage because people can see the broader impact of collective action.” But the science body noted that the pandemic is proof that broad, structural behavioral change can and does happen. The top 10 percent is a broad category that includes more than the jet-fliers and yacht-owners. The pandemic has supported that rapid collective change in behavior is possible. And while hard data and peer-reviewed science show individual actions do matter, ultimately, the world has to think beyond the individual carbon footprint in addressing the climate crisis, including thinking about how individuals can bring about structural change. So the bottom line of the IPCC’s first look at individual action is this: By reexamining the way we live, move around, and eat, the world has the potential to slash up to 70 percent of end-use emissions by 2050. But there are things individuals can do at work and in their communities that will do more to push structural change. In other words, a single person taking well-meaning steps to lessen their footprint doesn’t change the fact that billions of people are living off fossil fuels.

In the period from 2010 to 2019, average annual global greenhouse gas emissions were at their highest levels in human history, the report found. But the rate of ...

If we don’t want these consequences to get far worse — and they are already catastrophic in some parts of the world — we need to make changes in our lives and to support policies that address climate change. We are already feeling the consequences of climate change. For example, the costs of renewable energy are declining and the generation and use of this cleaner energy is increasing. The decisions we make now can secure a liveable future. But the rate of growth has slowed. In the period from 2010 to 2019, average annual global greenhouse gas emissions were at their highest levels in human history, the report found.

Carbon dioxide emissions tend to acidify oceans making aquatic species and marine habitats more vulnerable to declines and damage. This ocean acidification ...

The goal is to adopt proper implementation of global strategies that can ensure marine and coastal protection and the conservation of the global oceans in general. The WMO in particular also collaborates with the Food and Agriculture Organisation to understand the impacts of climate change on marine productivity and fisheries. More than hundred countries across the globe responsible for a majority of these emissions, have made national climate commitments and pledges to curb their impacts on the environment. With the Paris Agreement, the recent COP26 summit in Glasgow among others, we can definitely say that we are off to a good start. While 30% of the land on Earth is classified as areas of particular importance for biodiversity protection, in order to reverse the extinction crisis, there needs to be an additional 20% of land that needs to be conserved. To surmise, greenhouse warming has complex and perhaps, severe impacts on the ocean than on land. Countries have also started developing policies and implementing sustainable practices which can conserve the oceans and protect fisheries and marine habitats. On the other hand, La Niña events have also seen a build-up in recent years, and tend to have complex impacts on weather patterns particularly in the Pacific Ocean. Both El Niño and La Niña events are part of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), where the former brings warming effects while the latter brings significant cooling or changes in winter seasons in the Pacific regions. The cumulative impacts of deforestation, agricultural runoff, overexploitation of marine resources, overfishing and more also weaken marine ecosystems of the world. Oceans are known to absorb most of the solar energy reaching the Earth, and warming of the oceans is generally slower than the atmosphere, resulting in moderate coastal weather with few hot and cold extremes. While oceans tend to influence regional and weather conditions around the world, changes in the climate can also have profound impacts on the oceans. Oceans absorb almost 90% of the extra energy from greenhouse gas effects, and this has resulted in ocean warming at depths of 1,000 metres.

Across its 17 chapters, it examines climate change mitigation efforts in use (or pledged for use) in everything from agriculture and transport, to energy supply ...

Climate change is a direct result of more than a century of ignored warnings and and unsustainable approaches to using precious resources. Researchers at ETH’s Future Cities Laboratory believe that part of the answer to this is to enable a circular loop within the urban landscape. The authors say that it could “transform cityscapes from their current status as net sources of GHG emissions into large-scale, human-made carbon sinks.” A paper referenced in the report suggests that constructing timber buildings for 2.3 billion urban dwellers (between 2020 and 2050) could store between 0.01 and 0.68 Gt CO2 per year, depending on a number of factors, including the average floor area per capita. This has prompted many to begin a drastic rethink of the materials supply chain, and of the construction, operation, and demolition cycle. A particularly good example of this is the dominance of private cars seen in many urban areas. More than half of the global human population now live in these areas, and that proportion is forecasted to increase to nearly 70% by 2050. The materials most associated with mid- and high-rise urban construction – namely, concrete, steel, aluminum, and glass – all come with significant carbon (and environmental) cost, despite steady improvements in their production efficiency. Smart (and distributed) electric grids are also enabling a more sustainable approach to electricity supply and demand. There is arguably a fourth strategy too – behavioral change – though, this often follows on from the successful implementation of the other three. The huge range of approaches reflects the fact that the causes of climate change are numerous – though, it should be said, we humans are to blame for all of them – and tackling it will take a multi-pronged approach. Across its 17 chapters, it examines climate change mitigation efforts in use (or pledged for use) in everything from agriculture and transport, to energy supply and manufacturing. We are living in a climate crisis, and the time for action is now.

Mount Kilimanjaro, Sermersooq, Great Barrier Reef, Harz Forests featured in the doodle.

The southwest monsoon contributes 74.9 per cent to the annual rainfall in India and irrigates over half of India’s agricultural land. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition. “Quantitatively, the monsoon seasonal (June to September) rainfall is likely to be 99 per cent of the LPA with a model error of ± 5 per cent. It noted that currently, the southwest monsoon is passing through a ‘dry epoch’ which started in the decade of 1971-80. You can further help us by making a donation. Google, which records over 8 billion searches every day, has dedicated its daily doodle to Earth Day several times since the feature was rolled out in 1998. We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Scientists have attributed the loss to global warming as well as change in land-use, mostly deforestation. Rising temperatures and severe drought are responsible for this loss of green cover. The images were gathered from The Ocean Agency, an international non-profit that works on marine conservation. You can further help us by making a donation. We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us.

After decades of treating business leaders as the enemy, many environmentalists have come to the realization that if we want to save the planet, we cannot ...

That is a recipe for all of us to end up in the red. the reality of their net zero promises, undercutting their credibility with both governments and environmentalists. They must agree to complete transparency on their environmental and climate impacts and without the phony net-zero claims. In the five-plus decades since the first Earth Day, the global environmental community has filed tens of thousands of lawsuits against corporations and corporations have sued back to block environmental regulations. Simply put, it is going to take a lot more than governments, environmentalists, and individuals can provide to solve the climate problem. Yet compromises have often been possible, and environmentalists also work collaboratively with both corporations and governments to transform industries where there are mutual environmental and economic benefits such as the transformation of the lighting industry to LEDs, supporting renewable energy incentives, and forest certification standards.

Could we save Earth if we treated it like a child? We are in crisis and need to heal the planet. Climate work is not about diluted commitments coldly discussed ...

Zelda Keller is executive director of the Institute for Climate and Peace. She also works with organizations to develop peacebuilding initiatives throughout the Pacific Asia region. We liken the climate crisis to the doldrums. Even the quietest, distant of cries can awaken a mother from a deep sleep, and we must establish similarly visceral bonds for effective and just climate action. It is a feeling, location and knowingness at the same time. During doldrums, the boat might be moving very quickly in the storm while the crew is unable to see the way to safety. Despite the demonstrated successes of locally based efforts like these, governments and philanthropies invest most climate finance in top-down and technology-centric approaches. Positive peaceful climate solutions present the greatest opportunity to build social cohesion, create lasting commitments that survive beyond partisanship, and are sustained beyond each of us. The communities and lands where these projects are based are now stronger, healthier, more connected and better prepared to face climate impacts with resilience. Central to our climate justice work is helping to frame the conversation about what peace is. We are in crisis and need to heal the planet. Their nerves express concern to you with quiet messages designed to tug at your unique receptivity – a tight squeeze, a shifted foot, a tear in the corner of the eye. As mothers, we have often felt engulfed by the gnawing worry of climate change, the jagged feeling akin to that moment when you, as a mother, drop off your child in the care of someone who hasn't yet earned your trust.

Instead of buying sustainable products or putting the climate crisis out of your mind, do something about climate change by giving your time.

This can be seen as shifting the blame to the individual rather than the system, but cities aren’t going to start reconfiguring themselves to be more pedestrian and bike friendly or invest in electric buses if no one is walking, biking or taking the bus. This doesn’t mean you need to, starting this very moment, call yourself a climate activist and glue yourself to the front of a fossil fuel-funding bank. These are all individual actions, yes, but those that have the potential to snowball in your community. The best place to start: 350.org, an international group focused on climate action that has outposts in cities across the globe, and likely one near you. (You can do that another time.) Instead, give the one thing that’s going to make the most difference in the fight against the climate crisis: your time. Better yet, you should join said protesters in your community, whether it’s a general march for climate action or an event about expanding fossil-fuel infrastructure in your community. Volunteering with a climate group near you is also the easiest way to stay up to date on the legislation in your state, because they’re likely keeping track of it. But in the fight for a liveable future, time is not money. The default course of action for many is to buy our way into a sense of safety — whether through a planet-friendly Patagonia hoodie or a donation to an environmental nonprofit — or to simply ignore the problem all together. The time you can devote is much, much more important. We’ve heard the alarm bells sounded by scientists, including in the most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which included a plea from co-chair Hans-Otto Pörtner that “any further delay in concerted global action will miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future.” We’ve championed many companies engaged in the admittedly tough process of decreasing their environmental impact, but today, we’ve got a different message for you: Don’t buy from them.

Zoe Schurman has been an activist since she was 9 years old. Her foray into politics began when she was a campaign volunteer for Sen.

“The problem with addressing the issue of climate change and climate justice is that you really want to be able to plant the seed of the conversation,” Montgomery said. Good news is in short supply when it comes to talk of climate change, so much that it can cause people to freeze or become numb and incapable of processing the situation, let alone take action. She began composting and avoiding plastics to reduce waste but focusing on changes in individual behavior — or “personalizing” the crisis, as she put it — can lead one away from community action and policy change. The warnings from scientists are impossible to ignore: Humanity is making the planet uninhabitable for billions as climate change becomes irreversible. This month, the IPCC published the third and final installment of its sixth assessment report. Proponents point out that not all countries suffer the impacts of climate change equally. “It’s about decolonizing the narrative so that there isn’t just one narrative.” “We’ve seen a lot of these national trends playing out in the state,” Bostrom said. “We’ve shifted from wondering whether the climate crisis is real or not, to thinking about how to take action,” Schurman said. Pushes for climate policy by President Joe Biden and Gov. Jay Inslee have drawn the public’s attention but not necessarily participation. “I don’t see a huge increase in urgency.” Projections showed the same residents scoring anywhere between 5% and 20% higher than the national average across the board when it comes to their beliefs on climate change, risk perception and policy support.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — As climate change bakes the planet, dozens of nations and many local governments are putting a price tag on greenhouse gas emissions ...

Youth-focused climate change project GenAction will be led by the Discovery Centre in Halifax and other science centre partners across Canada.

The summer program is about to kick off with our retreats and camps,” says Veinot. “We really are a coastal community. We already are implementing workshops in some of our schools and schools can take them here in our centre.

As Jim Skea, co-chair of the IPCC working group that finalized the report, stated: “It's now or never, if we want to limit global warming to 1.5 C (2.7 F).

It also shows that to limit global warming to about 1.5 C will require greenhouse gas emissions to peak ahead of 2025 and be reduced by 43 per cent by 2030 while methane would also need to be reduced by about a third globally. The assessment also shows that limiting warming to around 2 C (3.6 F) still requires global greenhouse gas emissions to peak before 2025 at the latest, and be reduced by a quarter by 2030. The report goes on to state that limiting global warming will require major transitions in the energy sector, including a substantial reduction in fossil fuel use, more widespread electrification, energy efficiency improvements and the use of alternative fuels such as hydrogen. While Clarke noted the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 C will be a global challenge, he also noted his optimism in the efforts underway. “It’s really important to show that leadership,” Hanley said, adding that a lot of initiatives set out in the emissions reduction plan apply to the territory, such as the move to more renewable energy options that can be seen in the proposed hydro expansion project with Atlin. Hanley pointed out the IPCC report came out shortly before the release of the federal 2030 emissions reduction plan, a document he described as “a really ambitious plan” for the country that will move Canada towards doing its part globally to reduce emissions with a target of 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, and to get to net-zero emissions by 2050.

Twitter is banning advertisements that promote climate change denial in an effort to curb the reach of groups seeking to downplay the extent of the ...

Google similarly announced a move to ban advertisements that contradict scientists’ understanding about the existence and causes of climate change. In recent years, tech companies have been introducing new labels and information hubs to elevate accurate information about the environment while taking steps to limit the spread of falsehoods. “We recognize that misleading information about climate change can undermine efforts to protect the planet.”

Twitter announced a new policy on Earth Day: it now bans ads pushing climate denial. The company says conversations about sustainability and climate change ...

Google told The Verge at the time that it reviewed the content and decided to take “appropriate enforcement actions.” Facebook has also come under fire for failing to label climate misinformation despite its policy on flagging such content. Talk about “sustainability” on the platform has grown by over 150 percent since 2021, Twitter says. Twitter also said that it will soon share more details about how it plans to “add reliable, authoritative context” about climate change on its platform.

Twitter's announcement on Earth Day came as it tries to fend off an unwanted takeover bid by billionaire Elon Musk, who has said he thinks people should be ...

Twitter last year introduced a Topic feature to help users find conversations about climate change, and rolled out hubs of "credible, authoritative" information on an array of high-profile topics including the science backing climate change. "We believe that climate denialism shouldn’t be monetized on Twitter, and that misrepresentative ads shouldn’t detract from important conversations about the climate crisis." "Misleading advertisements on Twitter that contradict the scientific consensus on climate change are prohibited, in line with our inappropriate content policy," Twitter global sustainability manager Casey Junod said in a blog post.

I mean, this kind of feels like it should already be the case, but today, marking Earth Day 2022, Twitter has announced that it will now ban all ads which ...

Pinterest announced a full ban on climate change misinformation, in posts and ads, earlier this month, while back in October, Google announced that it would prohibit ads and monetization of YouTube videos that deny climate change. Denial is the default stance for some, because taking personal action requires personal effort, and it’s easier to point to heavy emitters, like big corporations and industries, and dismiss your own action as useless. In the coming months, we’ll have more to share on our work to add reliable, authoritative context to the climate conversations happening on Twitter.”

The company believes that "climate denialism shouldn't be monetised on Twitter," it further read.

Last year, it introduced a Topic feature to help users find conversations about climate change and rolled out hubs of "credible, authoritative" information on an array of high-profile topics including the science backing climate change. "Misleading information about climate change can undermine (the) efforts to protect the planet," the social media giant also noted. The company believes that "climate denialism shouldn’t be monetised on Twitter," it further read.

The Government of Canada has invested $ 6 million in GenAction, a youth-focused climate change project led by Halifax's Discovery Center and other science ...

“We are really a coastal community. “They will be our next generation policy makers and enthusiastic citizens who can help make a big impact on our climate. The goal is to inspire.

New Delhi: Twitter has announced to ban "misleading" advertisements related to climate change on its platform. The micro-blogging platform said that.

Twitter said that misleading information about climate change can undermine efforts to protect the planet. The micro-blogging platform said that misleading advertisements on Twitter “that contradict the scientific consensus on climate change are prohibited, in line with our inappropriate content policy”. “We believe that climate denialism shouldn’t be monetized on Twitter, and that misrepresentative ads shouldn’t detract from important conversations about the climate crisis,” the company said in a blog post late on Friday.

By the end of 2022, Twitter aims to only be using carbon-neutral power sourcing at its data centers. It also joined the EU climate pact earlier this year. Among ...

You can select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Click here to find out more about our partners. - Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address

Researchers looking at Vancouver menus and ocean temperatures going back 140 years found a growing trend in seafood that thrives in warmer waters.

“While it’s not a case of cause and effect, our findings indicate that the seas around Vancouver were warming during the studied time periods, so fish species that prefer warmer waters dominated there. “We know sockeye salmon isn’t doing well in B.C. That means local sockeye might be less available in the near future, and it’s likely local restaurants may choose other salmon species, or other fish species.” From there, they took an average preferred temperature for all species included in each of the time periods.

Twitter says it will no longer allow advertisers on its site who deny the scientific consensus on climate change.

BERLIN -- Twitter says it will no longer allow advertisers on its site who deny the scientific consensus on climate change, echoing a policy already in place at Google. Twitter said it would provide more information in the coming months on how it plans to provide “reliable, authoritative context to the climate conversations” its users engage in, including from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The U.N.-backed science panel's reports on the causes and effects of climate change provide the basis for international negotiations to curb climate change. Twitter says it will no longer allow advertisers on its site who deny the scientific consensus on climate change

"Ads shouldn't detract from important conversations about the climate crisis,'' the company said in a statement outlining its new policy Friday.

Twitter said it would provide more information in the coming months on how it plans to provide “reliable, authoritative context to the climate conversations” its users engage in, including from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “Ads shouldn’t detract from important conversations about the climate crisis,” the company said in a statement outlining its new policy Friday. Twitter says it will no longer allow advertisers on its site who deny the scientific consensus on climate change, echoing a policy already in place at Google.

"Ads shouldn't detract from important conversations about the climate crisis,” the company said in a statement outlining its new policy Friday.

Twitter bans climate change advertisements on its platform that are misleading. The decision was taken on April 22, which is celebrated as Earth Day.

Twitter claimed that all of its data centers are now powered by solar and wind power projects in the same geographic region and all the centers have Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). “To better serve these conversations, misleading advertisements on Twitter that contradict the scientific consensus on climate change are prohibited, in line with our inappropriate content policy. According to the company, the decision was taken in light of the alarming report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which stated that greenhouse gas emissions need to be halved by 2030 or a catastrophe will await us.