The Guardian / Damian Carrington / 01 October 2020
The climate crisis is heating up nights faster than days in many parts of the world, according to the first worldwide assessment of how global heating is differently affecting days and nights.
The findings have “profound consequences” for wildlife and their ability to adapt to the climate emergency, the researchers said, and for the ability of people to cool off at night during dangerous heatwaves.
[ FULL ARTICLE ]
Orangeville.com / Alexandra Heck / 27 August 2020
Local environmentalists are applauding the County of Dufferin’s new plan to add an environmental scope to every project going forward.
As part of the municipality’s goals to mitigate climate change, county staff will be adding a climate portion to reports on items being considered by council […]
The scope of the “climate lens” will assess whether or not a new infrastructure would create greenhouse gas emissions and whether or not those impacts can be mitigated.
It will also consider whether there will be any danger for people or property in extreme weather events, like drought or flood.
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Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks / 14 August 2020
The Ontario government has selected a consulting team led by the Climate Risk Institute to conduct the province’s first-ever multi-sector climate change impact assessment. The study will use the best science and information to better understand where and how climate change is likely to affect communities, critical infrastructure, economies and the natural environment, while helping to strengthen the province’s resilience to the impacts of climate change […]
As part of its work, the Institute will be reviewing a variety of information such as climate data, land use patterns and socio-economic projections. They will also develop an engagement plan to ensure the final assessment reflects the views and perspectives of Indigenous communities, municipalities, key economic sectors and the public. The assessment will be conducted over the next two years and it is anticipated that the final results will be released in 2022.
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Manitoulin Expositor / 14 August 2020
Smart Green Communities, a reThink Green program working in consultation with municipalities, townships and First Nation communities throughout Manitoulin Island and the North Shore, has launched a public consultation on two regional energy and emissions plans (REEPs): a two-year study of the region’s collective greenhouse emissions and what that means for the future.
The primary goal of the REEPs is to assist these communities in meeting their energy and emission reduction goals by understanding how much they currently emit. This work paves the way for more collaboration between municipalities and communities to reduce their energy costs, decrease carbon emissions and address the identified risks of climate change.
[ FULL ARTICLE ]
New York Times / Abrahm Lustgarten / 23 July 2020
For most of human history, people have lived within a surprisingly narrow range of temperatures, in the places where the climate supported abundant food production. But as the planet warms, that band is suddenly shifting north. According to a pathbreaking recent study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the planet could see a greater temperature increase in the next 50 years than it did in the last 6,000 years combined. By 2070, the kind of extremely hot zones, like in the Sahara, that now cover less than 1 percent of the earth’s land surface could cover nearly a fifth of the land, potentially placing one of every three people alive outside the climate niche where humans have thrived for thousands of years. Many will dig in, suffering through heat, hunger and political chaos, but others will be forced to move on.
[ FULL ARTICLE ]
CBC News / Janet Davison / 18 July 2020
Across Canada, flooding has become the most expensive natural disaster, costing $1 billion annually in damage to homes, property and infrastructure, according to the federal Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
Insurers and many policy experts expect that number will go up. Sea levels are rising. A recent study by researchers at Environment and Climate Change Canada found that climate change has made rainfall more extreme and storms with extreme rainfall more frequent.
While experts see a variety of strategies to help deal with the situation, there is one potential solution people may not want to talk about: When might it be time to retreat from living on the riskiest waterfront properties altogether?
[ FULL ARTICLE ]
