LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD FEB 28 2023 SHOW HERE:
Kingston, Ontario father Tom Flood thinks it’s not too much to ask that his kids should be able to bike or walk to school safely. Co-Host Solita Work talks to Tom Flood about ‘reframing’ the road-safety, road-violence, discussion. RCMP Constable Mike Moore spent some 20 years as a traffic cop. He outlines the laws of sharing the road, and how it practically works. Rianna Fiorante from Hub Cycling in the lower mainland talks about their growing programs to make cycling easier and safer for everyone.
LINKS:
Great road safety messages AND T-shirts on Tom Flood’s website https://www.creativebyrovelo.com
Great cycling advocacy and communications from Hub Cycling. BikeHub.ca
West Kootenay Cycling Coalition. https://westkootenaycycling.ca/
EVENTS:
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Thursday March 30, 7pm
Deep Dive seminar: Geothermal – an underutilized energy solution
From First Things First Okanagan: Geothermal systems use the earth’s thermal to provide unmatched heating and cooling efficiency. Systems are uniquely dependable, with units lasting up to 25 years. Why is this climate-friendly technology not used more widely in commercial and residential developments?
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEkcu6grzIvGNcV0vzaI16NcwD6qRgo7sl-
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Friday, March 31 Noon to 1 pm
Climate Zoom Webinar on the Youth Climate Corps in the Kootenays
East Kootenay Climate Hub zoom webinar on the Youth Climate Corps in the Kootenays.
Register online at https://www.westkootenayclimatehub.ca/
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Thursday April 13. 7 pm
Nelson Public Forum on LNG, Fracking and Pipelines
BC faces huge climate decisions on expanding the production of methane gas, also known as natural gas, Thousands more fracked gas wells will have to be drilled in NE BC to fill pipelines to massive LNG compression plants on the coast. The Nelson/West Kootenay Chapter of the Council of Canadians, the West Kootenay Climate Hub and Doctors and Nurses for Planetary Health Kootenay Boundary are putting on the event with three experts from around the province at Nelson United Church at 7 pm Thursday April 13 7 pm. A zoom link will also be available at the events page of the WestKootenayClimateHub.ca
ENVIRONMENT NEWS
The Deadline is this Thursday March 30 to sign up to Contribute Ideas to the 2024 BC Budget.
Getting involved in the BC budget process can make a difference. Last year, several climate activists made a budget pitch to increase investments in active transportation from $20 million to $100 million a year – and they saw good success.
If you want a say in the 2024 Budget, you must sign up by 2pm on Thursday (March 30th). You will then have until late May to flesh out your proposals.
Sign up here: https://www.leg.bc.ca/content-committees/Pages/Finance-Budget-Consultation.aspx
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University of British Columbia researchers have developed new methods to break down toxic ‘forever chemicals’
They hope their breakthrough will dramatically shorten the lifespan of the thousands of toxic “forever chemicals” that persist in clothing, household items and the environment.
The program has developed a new silica-based material with ability to absorb a wider range of the harmful chemicals, and new tools to break them apart them.
The chemicals, also known as PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are used for non-stick or stain-resistant surfaces, including clothing, cookware, stain repellents and firefighting foam. But they are also notoriously difficult to break down naturally, giving them the name “forever chemicals”.
In recent years, scientists have found the chemicals, which were once assumed to be harmless, are also linked to elevated cholesterol, hormonal disruption, infertility, cardiovascular disease and cancers.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/22/canada-toxic-forever-chemicals-pfas-researchers
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A study was released last week showing the biggest earthquake on record in Alberta was most likely triggered by oil and gas activity. The Peace River region was rocked by quakes in November last year, including one measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale. The Energy regulator first announced the quakes were caused by natural earth movement but now are saying they were caused by injections of oil industry waste water.
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2185992259581
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The ocean salmon fishing season is set to be prohibited this year off California and much of Oregon for the second time in 15 years after adult fall-run Chinook, often known as king salmon, returned to California’s rivers in near record-low numbers in 2022.
As drought dried up rivers that carry California’s newly hatched Chinook salmon to the ocean, state officials in recent years have resorted to loading up the fish by the millions on to trucks and barges to take them to the Pacific.
River water temperatures rose with warm weather, and a Trump-era rollback of federal protections for waterways allowed more water to be diverted to farms.
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The Australian government’s signature climate bill targeting big polluters is a step closer to passing after a deal with the Greens added an absolute cap on emissions.
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, announced the deal on the safeguard mechanism bill on Monday, taking credit for “a big hit on coal and gas” that could effectively block half of 116 proposed new fossil fuel projects.
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A new report published by Fauna & Flora outlines the risks associated with deep-sea bed mining – including that its negative impacts are likely to be extensive and irreversible. Once lost, deep-sea biodiversity will be impossible to restore, the authors say.
Catherine Weller, Global Policy Director, Fauna & Flora, said: “This is a critical year for the future of our ocean. In September 2021, members of IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, voted to support a moratorium on deep-seabed mining unless and until a number of requirements are met. This included the stipulation that the risks of mining are comprehensively understood and effective protection can be ensured.
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