Climate Conference - We Must All Do Our Part

AS CLIMATE CONFERENCE WRAPS, WE MUST ALL DO OUR PART

The 27th annual Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change recently wrapped up, and the world continues to burn.

Despite positive commitments — including on methane emissions and a climate “loss and damage” fund — it will take more to slow and reverse climate disruption and the impacts it’s fuelling. We can’t hope it will be resolved by governments — or the industry responsible for the crisis, which was wellrepresented at COP27 in Egypt.

That doesn’t mean individuals should shoulder the burden. Governments must make big decisions that enable us all to reduce emissions. Personal choices and behaviours are important and add up, but one of the most powerful things we can do is join with others to demand action. Research shows that when just 3.5 per cent of a population actively supports a campaign, protest or movement, real change is likely. We’ve been certain for decades that burning fossil fuels is causing everworsening impacts, but industry, governments and media have perpetuated myths and misinformation to keep the inevitable transition to renewable energy from happening in the time needed. Now it’s urgent. We must demand a rapid end to the fossil fuel era.

Let’s support real solutions to curb our voracious consumer habits and the coal, oil and gas that are fuelling them and polluting land, water and air and altering the climate. We must let governments know we expect them to live up to and strengthen their global commitments.

It means calling for transparency and ensuring no one is left behind in the global transition to clean energy and better ways of living. Global North nations must step up with financing for the most vulnerable countries, communities and people who contribute least to the climate crisis but are most affected.

One idea gaining traction in the wake of COP27 is a windfall profits tax. With fossil fuel executives and shareholders gorging on record returns squeezed from global conflict as people everywhere struggle to keep up with rising fuel costs and related prices, many, including UN secretary general António Guterres, say industry should pay up. (The Guardian reports oil and gas companies made US$100 billion in the first three months of 2022 alone.)

More than 30 media outlets from more than 20 countries recently published an opinion article arguing for such a tax, with money directed to helping the vulnerable adapt to inevitable climate consequences and forestall the worst, and to compensate for “loss and damage.” “Rich countries account for just one in eight people in the world today but are responsible for half of greenhouse gases. These nations have a clear moral responsibility to help,” the article says.

To ensure governments get serious about climate disruption, calls are also getting louder for a “fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty.” Harking back to the 1970 global nuclear nonproliferation treaty, advocates say, “Climate change, like nuclear weapons, is a major global threat.”

The fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty website states that “thousands of academics, scientists, parliamentarians, cities and civil society leaders” have joined the call to “stop the expansion of fossil fuels and manage a global just transition away from coal, oil and gas.”

To rein in industry and do our part in the global effort against climate change, Canada needs a strong, declining, vigorously enforced cap or limit on emissions from the oil and gas sector immediately. It’s Canada’s largest and fastest-growing emissions source, accounting for 26 per cent of the domestic total — increasing 89 per cent since 1990 as other sectors reduced emissions.

Industry is trying to get the federal government to halt or water down its promised regulations. We can’t let that happen. Restrictions need to be strengthened, not weakened — and they need to cover all emissions, including those from burning fuels.

Canada must also uphold its commitment to 100 per cent net-zero-emissions electricity by 2035. David Suzuki Foundation research shows how we can move even beyond that to entirely emissions-free, affordable, reliable electricity.

We can’t continue to support an industry that’s putting our health, well-being and survival at risk. We need to end all fossil fuel tax breaks and subsidies. With its slowmoving governments and industry lobbyists, COP27 shows again that we all must step up, with votes, actions, calls and letters. We’re in this together.

Children with Special Needs

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David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and cofounder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Senior Writer and Editor Ian Hanington.

Learn more at davidsuzuki.org.

BRITISH COLUMBIA SPIDER SURVEY

In 2006, Royal British Columbia Museum researchers began systematically documenting the diversity of British Columbia’s spider fauna. Annual field surveys of spiders, primarily targeting alpine and subalpine habitats, began in 2008; barcode identification of previously unidentifiable specimens commenced in 2012. Many of the additions to the checklist represent the first Canadian or Nearctic records of those taxa or are undescribed species. The number of species recorded in British Columbia has climbed from 212 in 1967 to 902 in 2021. The lack of conservation concern regarding spiders relative to other taxa is notable: particularly in light of the fact that more than 40% (357) of the native species of spiders in the province are represented by five or fewer collection records. Through these efforts we have determined that British Columbia is an important area of Nearctic spider diversity.

Claudia Copley has been a collection manager at the Royal BC Museum since 2004. She is responsible for maintaining the entomology collection, which includes insects, arachnids and myriapods. Claudia’s graduate degree was focused on the spider fauna of the ancient forests in the Carmanah Valley, but her interests include everything entomological.

December 5th at 9:30am via Zoom. (The link will be sent out to CVNS members a few days prior to the event. This is a free event, open to the public. If you are not a CVNS member, please email cvns@ naturecowichan.net to receive the zoom link.)

HALLELUJAH:

LEONARD COHEN, A JOURNEY, A SONG

This is an American Film in English. It traverses Leonard Cohen’s rise from Canadian poet to iconic musical artist. The documentary is a deep exploration into his artistry, particularly his record label’s rejection of his work and his subsequent musical failures. Though Cohen worked on “his” hit song for many years “Hallelujah” only began to take off after several others had released recordings , most notably Jeff Buckley. In the song we witness a man grappling with his faith and love, evidenced in archival footage and interviews with Cohen. The film also features interviews with Brandi Carlile, Bob Dylan, Clive Davis, Adrienne Clarkson, Eric Church and more.

Writing in “The Wrap”, Steve Pond says,” Does the film explain “Hallelujah”? Of course not, the song stubbornly resists explanation, because it’s so many different things and because there’s a beautiful mystery at its heart. (The film) is smart enough to embrace that mystery and that beauty, and to know there is far more to Cohen than can be summed up in four, or seven, or even 150 verses.”

Reel Alternatives Movie Night ‘Hallelujah’ December 19th 7pm Cowichan Performing Arts Centre 2687 James St. Duncan $17

RATTY

by Shiloh Badman