The truth is a little different but no less extraordinary. The horrid groundweaver really exists, though it is nearly invisible. And it is quite capable of striking fear, at least among the ecologically inept.

THE HORRID ground-weaver has a mighty name. It suggests a dangerous beast from the old stories, a creature in league with the Jabberwok and the frumious Bandersnatch, possibly imaginary but nonetheless fearsome.

The truth is a little different but no less extraordinary. The horrid groundweaver really exists, though it is nearly invisible. And it is quite capable of striking fear, at least among the ecologically inept.

Nothophantes horridus is a tiny spider – about 2.5 millimeters long. It is also shy. Mostly it lives underground in the fissured limestone of abandoned quarries and even when it emerges to forage, it hides under stones and other debris. No one knows much about it.

We put little priority on learning more about what tiny life forms exist, let alone what they do, how they interact and how their influences fit with everything else.

Mostly what is known is that Nothophantes horridus is rare. It has been found only in three small abandoned quarries near the city of Plymouth in southwest England. One of those quarries is now an industrial park. The spider is included on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, categorized as “critically endangered.”

This year, the tiny spider with the mighty name helped defeat a land development proposal for the old Radford Quarry, one of its two remaining habitat locations. The quarry was already a designated County Wildlife site and BugLife, an environmental charity, got 8,700 signatures on a “save the horrid ground-weaver” petition. The city council voted unanimously to deny approval to the development, and the council’s decision was upheld upon appeal.

How often does that happen?

More importantly, could that happen more often? Could humans be more often moved to pay serious attention to creatures that that are mostly invisible and don’t do us any immediately obvious good or harm?

Certainly we could do better. The human record with small things has not been good. Except when they are numerous and irritating, we have mostly not noticed creatures the size of the horrid ground-weaver. Until we had microscopes, we had no conception of microscopic beings. Unless they threaten health – such as the parasitic malaria protozoa, tuberculosis bacteria and Ebola virus – we still put little priority on learning more about what tiny life forms exist, let alone what they do, how they interact and how their influences fit with everything else.

The IUCN’s Red List provides an illuminating indicator of both the traditional limitations and anticipated expansions of attention. The Red List represents an enormous and immensely valuable effort to collect reliable information about species, especially ones imperiled by human activities. So far, however, the most fully assessed categories – mammals, birds and amphibians plus six groups of aquatic species and two of plants – include only creatures that are bigger than the horrid ground-weaver.

The IUCN’s plans for more comprehensive coverage include targets for species facing evident threats (eg, commercially harvested fish and by-catch species) but also additional assessments of plant, fungi and invertebrate species that will recognize some small creatures, perhaps even a few microorganisms.

Nonetheless, the IUCN remains a body that aims to provide a “barometer of life” but considers only animals, plants and fungi, and concentrates mostly on the ones we can easily see. The world of bacteria, micro-sized fungi, archaea, protista (plant-like algae and animal-like protozoa), viruses (which may not technically qualify as life forms) and symbiont combinations is huge, important, and missing.

Given the present inadequacy of information on well-recognized areas of biodiversity stress and decline, it is no surprise that the IUCN focuses on the big visible concerns. As a speciesfocused organization, the IUCN is not the first place to look for research on the smaller creatures that may be playing crucial ecological roles. Moreover, probably much more needs to be known about the diversity of microscopic species before expansion of threat assessments can be realistic.

For the time being, however, we can see the horrid ground-weaver’s recognition in the IUCN’s Red List and the successful defence of its quarry home as modest but hopeful first victories for the very small.

The post Small appeared first on A\J.

OUTSIDE of the 3,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art community solar greenhouse at Invermere’s David Thompson Secondary School, Rob Avis and his group of design interns are busy bringing a tantalizing vision of sustainability to life. Over the past three years, they’ve been transforming the surrounding 12,000 ft² of barren rock and silt into a vibrant public space that will feature a constructed wetland, community garden plots, a teaching area with a double-chambered cob oven, and a multilayered forest populated with plants selected for food production, wildlife habitat, pollinator refuge and soil building. There are even plans for a chicken moat (a pathway forchickens to access the food forest and keep pests down) and a “duckcuzzi” (a jacuzzi repurposed into a pond). Avis and his students are designing this landscape using the principles of a growing global movement called permaculture.

Derived from the words “permanent” and “culture,” permaculture strives to create healthy and durable human communities that work in dynamic balance with the environment. According to Avis, a former oil and gas engineer and founder of the Calgary-based Verge Permaculture Consulting and Adaptive Habitat, it’s all about looking at and doing things differently. He explains how unlike linear approaches to problem-solving that prescribe reactive fixes to complex problems, permaculture emphasizes systems thinking by acknowledging the existence and importance of connections and seeks to turn liabilities into opportunities.

Much of this can be seen in the development process of the Invermere Permaculture Garden; embedded in the project’s core design is the philosophy of working with nature rather than imposing human will over it. Instead of importing scarce groundwater and fertilizers derived from fossil fuels to create a lush but ultimately unsustainable garden space, Avis and his Verge students employ their observational skills and multidisciplinary backgrounds in ecology, hydrology and engineering to create a self-sustaining and regenerative system that requires little human input once established.

Conscious of Invermere’s droughtprone summers, they have developed an innovative management system of roofs, tanks and swales to capture, store and deliver over 250,000 litres of annual rainfall into the gardenscape. They have planted fast-growing cover crops of buckwheat, annual rye and field peas to boost nitrogen and organic matter levels in the soil for future food forest crops. By planting these climateappropriate perennials that mimic the growth and succession patterns found in natural ecosystems, they build diversity and resilience into a space that will yield a bountiful array of fruits and nuts while establishing rich habitats for pollinators and wildlife for years to come.

In permaculture, each design choice strives not only to satisfy human desires, but also to leave the landscape in a better condition than before by all metrics. This is the key innovation of ecological engineering: combining appropriate technologies with traditional wisdom. It is also the power of integrated design, mindful of actions and consequences, embracing environment and community while creating win-win solutions.

The Groundswell Community Greenhouse and permaculture garden at Invermere’s David Thompson Secondary is designed to work with natural forces instead of having strictly human imposed upon it.

Hands-on applied permaculture

For many of Avis’ students, the ability to get hands-on with the permaculture garden is just what they’ve been looking for. Already well versed in permaculture principles, the time they spend in Invermere on a working site provides them with a prime opportunity to team up and apply their skillset towards building something tangible together.

Motivated by personal interests, students from the 2014 cohort came away from the experience with invaluable insights. One was thrilled at the possibility of applying learned techniques to revitalize public land, while another was excited to put gleaned practices into use on agricultural properties in West Africa. Some lessons are of a more personal nature. One intern discovered her affinity and aptitude for working on small-scale projects, noting that working with others who share similar values was instrumental in helping her realize her own strengths.

Inspiring change

The spirit of collaboration extends beyond Avis and his students. Verge Permaculture works with Invermere’s Groundswell Community Network, an internationally acclaimed grassroots organization that owns and operates the on-site community greenhouse, which grows fresh produce for the high school’s cafeteria and provides training opportunities for the school’s chef training program. With shared interests in applied sustainability, Groundswell executive director Bill Swan saw the partnership with Avis and Verge Permaculture as a natural fit. He hopes that this multi-year integrated project can serve as a showcase for how food and design can help connect people and community.

Already, the Groundswell Community Greenhouse and the Invermere Permaculture Garden have garnered significant attention from local volunteers and out-of-town visitors, as well as support from both government and the private sector. Swan believes that these projects will continue to inspire other towns and cities across Canada that are seeking to adopt more environmentally sound practices and reduce liabilities from climate changerelated impacts. Beyond that, Swan hopes that they will help generate awareness around food sustainability issues and build the critical momentum necessary to affect lasting change.

In the 21st century, humanity faces increasingly complex environmental problems that are resistant to simple solutions. More than ever, people are confronted with news of melting ice caps, vanishing species, and the costly consequences of extreme weather events. This constant doom and gloom can be overwhelming for those who wish to act but find themselves without the means.

Projects like the Invermere Permaculture Garden and collaborations between forwardthinking organizations like Verge and Groundswell are vital in combating despair, apathy and cynicism. They show people a more hopeful and attainable future. They can engage, educate and motivate future leaders to new ways of thinking and doing. Most importantly, they can empower people with the practical and mental tools to not only survive, but to thrive in an uncertain world full of challenges and possibilities

Looking to try out more gardening methods? Here’s what you need to make aquaponics work at home.

Can permaculture solve California’s drought problem? Find out at ajmag.ca/californiadrought.

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Vocal climate change activists don’t get invited to many dinner parties. There, I’ve admitted it. Yup, we’re often lonely. I guess I can dig it, though. I mean, who wants the indigestion of supping across from someone going on about the potential of (ho hum) amplifying carbon feedbacks (yawn) to obliterate life on Earth (pass the peas, please).

The problem is, we know too much. The cognitive dissonance of understanding the urgency of the climate change emergency, while surrounded by trivial pursuits, can make us cry. Feeling the pressure to be positive and “hopeful” all the time can make us retch – and feel wretched. Hope schmope, we think to ourselves. Hope is not an action verb; action is our only hope. Yet, especially at parties and other social get-togethers, nobody else wants to even talk about climate change action. It seems everyone just wants to feel good, chitchat and enjoy the food and drink. I just wish I could join them.

More and more, environmental activists like me – experiencing this challenge to their mental health and emotional well-being – know the loneliness of no longer fitting in, being socially isolated, of losing friends who “don’t want to hear about it.” Or worse, hearing from a spouse that it’s either lose the climate doom, or lose them.

So why do so many of us persist in making ourselves and our near and dear miserable? Blogger Rolly Montpellier of BoomerWarrior.com says, “The stakes are just too high and the consequences of failure too unimaginable to not get involved … I jumped in knowing that I was headed straight towards my deepest fears and concerns.”

Margaret Klein Salamon is the director of activist group The Climate Mobilization, and has a PhD in clinical psychology. She explains that “once you really take in – intellectually and emotionally – what is happening, and you realize that you can be an effective agent of change, there is no going back. It becomes the driving force in your life.”

If we’re not driven to find great shoes on sale or cheer our team to victory, we’re not likely to find camaraderie among people who do. If we’re struggling to pay the rent because we work only part-time in order to have time for our activism, we’ll likely feel out-of-place with old friends who have their mortgages paid off and debt-free retirement in sight.

It’s hard to make new friends at the best of times. And these are the worst of times. Although it’s harder to find kindred spirits in rural areas, even in the city, activism can be a lonely affair. So how do we keep ourselves from getting stuck, as an online commenter once warned me, “on a narrow social isthmus”? Here are some ideas:

Reach out. Long-distance friends can fill a gap for lonely activists. But there may be people closer than you think feeling the same way you are. I recently copied a blog post of mine to someone in my community, and received a noteback. “May you know that in your suffering, you are not alone,” it said. “Others are feeling with us and for us.” I was heartened.

Have some fun. Take a permaculture course. Join a bioblitz (an intensive biological survey conducted by scientists and volunteers) or a guided bicycle trip. Try Green Drinks (meeting other enviros over libations) or weed dating (speed dating on a farm) to meet others you already have something in common with. For extra spice, try a workshop on civil disobedience.

Reconnect with what you’re fighting for. Canoe down a river. Walk through a forest. Lie in a meadow and look up at the clouds. Robin Wall Kimmerer asks, “What would it feel like to be part of a family that includes birches and beavers and butterflies? We’d be less lonely. We’d feel like we belonged.”

There’s no place like home. Rather than feel like an outcast at holiday dinners with family, seek out allies (your mom? your cousin with the nose ring?). Or think of it as intelligence gathering: what does seem to light some interest in mashed-potato-sated eyes? And remember – yes, preserving the climate is important, but often it’s family who stick by us come rain or shine!

Sometimes this work is so sad, the only bright spot is knowing that our partner “gets” our grief. When Klein Salamon and her fiancé married recently, one of their vows was, “Come what may, we are better together.” “This is such an uncertain, shifting world, we have to be each other’s rock,” she told me.

But what about relationships that are already on the rocks? When one partner doesn’t get what drives the other, the loneliness only gets worse. Several couples I know are in turmoil because one spouse resents the time, money and energy the other’s activism absorbs. One friend is even forbidden to talk about global warming at home. Another is in couples’ counselling because his spouse wants more balance in their life. A third has been told that if they’re going to work that hard on something, it had better be bringing money into the family.

This is where compassion comes in. Not everyone shares the same tolerance level for the pain of thinking about climate change. Your spouse probably didn’t marry you for your urge to save humanity. It’s something to bear in mind when they beg you to take a break and watch a show on TV, or go camping somewhere without Wi-Fi. (And no, a donation to 350.org does not count as a birthday present for your spouse.)

And let’s save some compassion for ourselves. This is good work; it’s also difficult, frequently disheartening and emotionally draining work. But we’re doing it. So we’re also allowed to take a break sometimes. We can draw strength from the beauty of the world we’re working to safeguard. We can accept that the climate battle can be put on pause long enough for a bowl of popcorn and a movie, or whatever recharges our emotional batteries.

And if none of this helps kick your loneliness, consider a pet of the furry persuasion. My dog always seems to know just when I need a lick on the cheek.

Where in the world can a guy or a gal get a green drink? You can findeco-kindred spirits in 77 countries around the globe at greendrinks.org.

The post Love in the Time of Climate Change appeared first on A\J.

VOLKSWAGEN’S MANAGERS, its market value and its global reputation have all taken a big hit since it was revealed that 11 million of the company’s “clean diesel” cars were actually polluting up to 40 times more nitrous oxides than the legal limit.

In the wake of the scandal, blame has been placed on everything from the failure of deregulation to the avaricious corporate culture. These are all important considerations, but to what extent are we missing the point when we – the drivers of those so-called clean-diesels – absolve ourselves of any wrongdoing?

Don’t get me wrong, what VW did was nothing short of criminal (I would be remiss if I did not declare that I have signed on to one of the many class action lawsuits launched against VW). However, do we not do ourselves a deep disservice if we pin our society’s unsustainable transportation practices all on the producers?

Like millions of other VW owners, I too had a moment of fury when I found out my clean diesel was not so clean after all. Yet, as the shock wore off, I started to feel a sense of responsibility for the ecological catastrophe that is now encapsulated by the words “Volkswagen scandal.” Before we go on heaping all the blame on this one bad apple, we would do well to take a deep long look in the mirror to assess our own culpability.

There’s a palpable assumption that everything will be okay again if we just implement a more robust regulatory structure and a genuine corporate culture of social responsibility to ensure this kind of scam doesn’t happen again. But clearly, those assumptions do not account for the fact that nearly every one of us in Canada is producing an unacceptably high volume of greenhouse gases (GHGs) on a daily basis regardless of how clean and green our vehicles may be. After all, we are among the worst per capita emitters of GHGs in the world (the worst, according to the World Resources Institute, which includes land-use change and forestry in its calculations). Transportation is the biggest culprit in Canada, with the sector contributing nearly a quarter of all domestic emissions. Canadians are not driving less, but rather hoping that their purchases of cleaner vehicles will help reduce their environmental footprint. 

I now contemplate my next vehicle purchase with a skeptic’s eye toward potential greenwashing. But it would be a shame if the lesson from this scandal ended there. It would be much better if this whole mess forced us to own up to our own role in contributing to climate change and pollution and made us think twice about our excessive consumption of transportation.

This article orginally appeared in Alternatives Journal’s Current Events section on October 16, 2015 under the title “Sharing Volkswagen’s Blame“

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DROUGHT CAN BE SCARY, and there’s no doubt that recent headlines about the potentially cataclysmic drought in California has us all a little uneasy. Groundwater has long been California’s “safety net” in times of drought, but so much groundwater has been taken that land is sinking under people’s feet, and aquifers are at serious risk of being depleted (if they aren’t already).

It’s difficult to believe that up until last year, when and where wells were drilled, and how much could be pumped from them was basically unregulated in most of California.

Prior to last year, British Columbia also did not regulate its groundwater. In fact, it was the only province in Canada without any groundwater regulations. In 2014, however, both BC and California passed legislation to address this problem: the Water Sustainability Act and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, respectively. BC’s act is not yet in force, but will be by 2016. This new legislation provides real opportunities to better manage groundwater use in the province, and the provincial government is currently drafting the first regulations for pumping and allocating groundwater under the act.

New research from the University of Victoria’s POLIS Project on Ecological Governance and Ecojustice shows that British Columbia can learn valuable lessons from its neighbours to the south as it drafts its new groundwater regulations. It’s rare for two jurisdictions with this level of similarity to be undergoing such significant changes at the same time, and there are some really rich learning opportunities that simply cannot be ignored.

Randy Christensen and Oliver M. Brandes’ new report California’s Oranges and BC’s Apples? Lessons for BC from California Groundwater Reformanalyzed California’s legislation while taking into account the climatic, social and legal differences between the state and province. They say that by employing a proactive approach and learning from California, BC can avoid a crisis situation.

One big insight for BC is that local planning and control are important, but they take time – generally measured in decades. As such, it is critical that local groundwater planning in BC start now, even though it is not yet required in the new legislation.

Other important lessons include the fact that voluntary programs – even those with the best of intentions – simply are not good enough when water supplies start to run dry. Having binding plans is critical. Any watershed or aquifer plans that are put into place must have clearly defined minimum performance standards, timelines, and accountability for local decisionmaking bodies.

The California drought offers a genuine glimpse into what could be the future for some of BC’s watersheds and regions. The good news, though, is that it’s not too late. Over the next few years, BC will be developing the necessary regulations to create and enforce measures that are desperately needed to protect our water. BC has the rare and positive opportunity to avoid California’s errors and benefit from its successes. But the province must act now because when a water crisis hits, it will already be too late.

See A\J’s coverage on California’s water crisis from earlier this year at ajmag.ca/drought

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“WHAT IS IT about activists that they can’t even be optimistic for one day after a whole decade?” The disgust and disappointment on my 16 year olds’ face is somewhat heartbreaking as he pours cereal the morning after the Canadian election and surfs the comments on my Facebook page.  I can only shake my head sadly and agree with him. 

My sons have never known a Canada that was not under Stephen Harper’s thumb.  For the last decade they have listened to their parents shock and outrage over the weakening of our environmental laws, the lack of transparency, the erosion of democracy, the muzzling of scientists, the attack on environmental groups, the disregard for Canada’s constitution.  Along the way we tried to keep hope alive. We painted a picture for them of a Canada that valued evidence based policy. A Canada that led on the world stage to create critical international agreements like the Montreal Protocol.  We talked about how lucky we are to live in a democracy and how important it was for us to participate, to organize and to vote. Wouldn’t it be great to be fueled by hope instead of fear as the late Jack Layton urged us in his letter to the nation?  For just a minute could we not take a deep breath and focus on all the things that we know will now change?

Together we watched the election results come in from coast to coast and I watched the hope and optimism on my sons face as he listened to Justin Trudeau’s acceptance speech.  “Sunny ways!” We all yelled, half-hysterical and grinning ear to ear.  “To the end of the Harper Era!” We cheered as we raised a glass in jubilant toast. 

Our exuberance made the next mornings conversation all that more painful. “Is he really no different?”  “Why can’t people ever be hopeful?”

Why not indeed. Optimism is a particularly hard place for the activist community.  It is by nature a community that draws from the margins, those that question the status quo are often the same people that the status quo doesn’t benefit. There are also those that are simply hard wired to question authority and then there are those who have immersed themselves in climate science and for whom incremental progress or half measures are simply seen as disastrous and even immoral. In the case of this election and the thorough trouncing of the New Democratic Party there are also those in the activist community who were deeply invested in seeing an NDP or at least a Liberal minority that would give more space for an NDP agenda and with it the potential to strengthen the Liberals position on climate change. 

Let’s be clear — the Liberal Party Platform on climate change currently lacks strong emissions reductions targets at a critical moment in history when it is clear that the United Nations Framework Climate Change Conference discussions are undergoing a dramatic cultural shift.  For the first time in over a decade we are seeing a race to the top on climate policy.  Countries are committing to aggressive targets and, like China with the announcement of their cap and trade system, they are putting in place real policies to meet those targets. Canada will have to scramble to catch up after a decade of Federal inaction and there is a considerable amount of fear and cynicism in the activist and scientific community about how our new Liberal government will rise to that challenge. 

Prime Minster-elect Justin Trudeau’s support for the Keystone pipeline and the cozy relationship between the Liberal campaign chair and Transcanada has not helped create optimism on the climate file. Of course, there is also the experience of our colleagues south of the border who remind us that without strong public campaigns the Obama administration would never have considered pulling permits for Arctic drilling and certainly would have approved the Keystone pipeline by now. The pull of the oil and gas industry is strong and while we now have the technology to build a cleaner, safer energy system, it is not easy for any elected leader to forego significant short term financial benefits from fossil fuel exploration let alone tell their constituents that the price of electricity and gas needs to go up.

The Liberal campaign slogan during this Federal election was ‘hope and hard work’.  In the coming months we will need a lot of both.  Not just from our new government but also from ourselves.  Let’s allow ourselves to hope.  For our children and our health and the health of our communities.  Over the past week I have forced myself not to fall into the pit of cynicism and to take a moment everyday to think of one thing that I care about that will change under this new government.  It has had the effect of weights being lifted off my shoulders leaving me feel more spacious, more creative and free. A decade of attacks on our democracy, on those who can afford it the least and on our environment has left considerable baggage and scars.  It will take a while to unpack it all and to trust my own government again.  For my children I will try.  If we allow ourselves to hope, Prime Minister-elect Justin Trudeau is making it easy for us.  We aren’t getting platitudes and framing devoid of real promises and content.  Within minutes we were getting renewed commitments to a new voting system, an inquiry into the missing and murdered Aboriginal women and an invitation to Green Party leader Elizabeth May and every Premier to attend the Paris Climate Summit as part of a team.  We even got a day after press conference where our Prime Minister-elect … answered questions. 

The coming months will not be easy as we begin to establish a new relationship with our government and the international community but I am hopeful that we now have a government that will govern for all of Canadians best interests and not simply for one sector.  I am hopeful that we now have a government that will choose science over politics, clean, safe energy systems over business as usual and perhaps even a government that will choose people over polluters. 

This article orginally appeared in Alternatives Journal’s current events section on October 27, 2015 under the title “The Optimist Activist“

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Last year British Columbia’s government launched a now-controversial program to kill wolves in the Peace and Selkirk Regions in order to protect the dwindling caribou population. The government has enlisted various methods of controlling wolves to reduce caribou loss since 2001. BC’s Pacific Wild is leading the charge to fight against the wolf cull. With social media support from Miley Cyrus, Pacific Wild’s fight against the wolf cull has dominated international headlines. Some BC biologists have said that the cause of caribou decline is dwindling habitat, not wolves. The BC government’s 2014 report on wolf management even states that a correlation between reducing wolf numbers and caribou recovery could not be demonstrated. We spoke with PW’s executive director Ian McAllister about their work and why Canadians should pay attention.

A\J: What is the BC wolf cull?

Ian McAllister: Last year, without any previous announcement, the BC government announced a five-year plan, with a budget of over $2-million, to use helicopters to kill wolves through the Peace and Selkirk Regions. These are really large parts of the wilderness in BC where they plan on removing wolves. They radio collar individuals within each pack of wolves and in the wintertime, track them. They call them “Judas wolves.” They track those wolves to uncover the rest of the pack, then send helicopters in to kill the pack. The substantive issue in the wolf cull is that wolves are being blamed for the caribou population decline in the Peace and South Selkirk Regions.

Why is Pacific Wild opposed?

There is no clear proof that killing wolves will bring back caribou. Many biologists have said the caribou will not survive into the future even without wolves because the provincial government is not protecting adequate levels of habitat. It’s the human encroachment from industry, mining, oil and gas, logging, recreational activity and a host of other intrusions into critical caribou habitat that is driving them to extinction. The problem is that the BC government has known about this for decades. They have not taken the steps to properly protect caribou habitat and now, at the final hour, they’re trying to shift blame onto wolves and use them as a scapegoat. There’s a huge level of inhumane and cruel treatment in the way the cull is being conducted. Wolves are being wounded and left to suffer and die. The extended families in the packs are being ripped apart. Independent biologists and scientists are saying that the caribou are doomed unless habitat is addressed.

What is Pacific Wild doing about it?

Since the government made the announcement that they were going forward with this large-scale kill program, we’ve launched petitions and received over 200,000 signatures in support. We’ve been addressing the issue in media around the world and trying to mobilize as many people as possible to voice their opposition. This is an issue that went from obscurity to dominating the front pages of BC newspapers. There has been considerable conversation within the science community about whether we should be conducting such an inhumane, unscientific wildlife management policy such as this wolf kill. We’re hopeful that through more public outrage and condemnation of the BC government, they’ll reconsider this and address the real issue, which is habitat protection.

Is there a way to address the caribou habitat before it’s too late?

Some biologists are saying that the caribou don’t have a chance, that their future is written. There are others that say if the BC government would stop issuing licences for road building and construction, clear-cut logging and recreational activities, and safeguard that critical habitat, then caribou actually have a chance.

Find BC’s full report on grey wolf management at ajlinks.ca/greywolf.

Anne Bell takes in-depth look at how Canada is failing to protect species at risk. ajmag.ca/species.

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Concerned about the future and well being of endangered species and with a passion for running, 10 year-olds Jasmine and Jett began to brainstorm ideas for their event and approached WWF-Canada with their mission and plans to turn their idea into reality.

Young environmentalists across Canada are running for the future of endangered species. Kids’ Run for Nature held its first annual event last June on a rainy Sunday at Withrow Park in Toronto.

Concerned about the future and well being of endangered species and with a passion for running, 10 year-olds Jasmine and Jett began to brainstorm ideas for their event and approached WWF-Canada with their mission and plans to turn their idea into reality.

“We created the Kids’ Run for Nature because we care about the earth and wanted to get kids and their families involved in our great natural community. We want to support our environment and all the amazing species it holds while getting our bodies active and healthy,” said Jasmine and Jett.

WWF-Canada provided full support and was there to help the girls achieve their goals with the event. All the proceeds from the run were given to WWF-Canada to fund its national initiatives that protect endangered species and their habitats across our country – from the humpback whales in the Great Bear Sea on BC’s Northwest Coast to the cod fisheries in Newfoundland’s Grand Banks region.

“Everyone was quite surprised at how well it went, how many supporters they were able to get and how motivated everyone was around the idea,” said Kelly Szandtner, the lead organizer of Kids’ Run for Nature. “The most powerful thing about the run was the children seeing that they were able to achieve something so significant in their community through their efforts.”

The event proved successful, raising over $6,000 for the WWF-Canada’s conservations programs and gathering a group of 200 young participants to run alongside their families and friends.

According to Jasmine and Jett, their dream for Kids’ Run for Nature would be to do for the environment what Terry Fox has done for cancer research. The next Kids’ Run for Nature will be held on Sunday, June 12, 2016 in Withrow Park.

Jasmine and Jett are currently working on organizing other Kids’ Run for Nature events across Ontario, and eventually across the nation.

Jasmine and Jett are looking to grow their pack of team leaders. If you want a Kids’ Run for Nature event in your community visit kidsrunfornature.ca.

The post Kids Run the World appeared first on A\J.

Thinking outside of the box is fun. It’s challenging, creative, sometimes comical and – surprisingly often – useful. It can help you understand things in unexpected ways. And out-of-the-box thinking can lead to innovative approaches to environmental opportunities and creative solutions to persistent problems. There are scads of guides and lists online to help you turn around your own thinking processes. Here’s a quick list adapted from my favourite pointers at lifehack.org.

1. Write a poem. Haiku is a favourite because you must distill your idea into so few syllables.

2. Draw a picture. This more deeply exercises the right side of your brain, which was just toned by writing the poem.

3. Work backward from a desirable objective. “Backcasting” is the term used by the sustainability people.

4. Learn about an unfamiliar religion. Find out how others understand relationships between the divine and each other.

5. Study an industry or discipline other than your own.

6. Read a novel in an unfamiliar genre.

7. Turn the object of your concern upside down, either physically or by reimagining it.

8. Ask a child for advice – or at the very least, reformulate your problem so a child could understand it.

9. Take a shower. Some say there is a psychic link between showering and creativity.

10. Plug into your community in new ways – walk a dog for the pound or pay a homeless person for a story.

This is the third time A\J has produced an out-of-the-box issue. We do it to push ourselves out of our comfort zone and into areas where we are challenging our ideas about anything connected to environment. And because our definition of environment includes all aspects of ecological and social justice, pretty much everything is connected.

Each time we have released a call for proposals for an out-of-the-box issue, we have received an embarrassment of riches in return. We ask contributors to tell us how a particular subject is connected to environment in a way we wouldn’t have expected. We are looking for surprise and substance – something that unsticks the mind and allows us to move in greener ways. We have yet to be disappointed. What you will find in these pages is an array of articles that will make you think about a range of topics differently. But these articles inspire us in so many more ways.

Adam Lewis’ article, “Living on Stolen Land”, made me both nervous and excited. I don’t think I’ll be alone in saying that Lewis tackles one of the most important and uncomfortable topics that Canadians face once they understand that the land upon which their home sits once belonged to the First Peoples of Canada – and in many cases, still does. Like Lewis, we at A\J live on the Haldimand Tract, territory granted by treaty to the Haudenosaunee people of Six Nations in 1784. Several cities, including Kitchener-Waterloo, lie within it. You can bet that I have been chewing on how this can possibly be reconciled, and Lewis offers sage food for thought. I expect that this article will influence A\J’s future approaches and policies.

There is a good deal inside this issue of A\J that we hope will surprise and inspire. We’ll be very thankful if you send us your thoughts about any of these articles, especially the one(s) that have taken you off your own beaten path. Your options for submitting feedback are: email letters@alternativesjournal.ca; comment at the end of stories that are published online; send us a note via the webform; or join us for lunch in downtown Kitchener’s beautiful Victoria Park – historic wintering ground for Indigenous people, and only a block away from A\J headquarters.

See the original list at ajlinks.ca/lifehack

Find the first two Out of the Box issues at ajmag.ca/341 and ajmag.ca/364.

The post Editorial: How to Get Out appeared first on A\J.

With Kyoto’s deadlines looming, Canada faces the likelihood that we will not reach our targets of reducing emissions to six percent below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012. And Canada is not alone. A number of European countries, Japan and New Zealand are realizing that their emissions continue to rise despite abatement efforts[i]. Kyoto’s first commitment period (2008-2012) was supposed to be about industrialized countries accepting responsibility for their historical greenhouse gas emissions and showing leadership in reducing these. Once we move into the second and third commitment periods, so the theory goes, all the countries of the world will accept targets for reducing their greenhouse gases. Unfortunately, something happened on the way to the forum. 


The White House – pushed by the certainty that the US Senate would reject any international agreement without China, India and other developing countries – dropped out of Kyoto in early 2001. To keep the Kyoto deal alive, the EU acquiesced to Canadian and Japanese demands for flexibility mechanisms (the same demand that they wouldn’t give to Bill Clinton’s White House a year earlier) and convinced Canada to commit to the legal text of Kyoto in the fall of 2001. After much gnashing of teeth, Canada ratified Kyoto in the fall of 2002. Finally, with some arm-twisting, the EU managed to bring Russia and its contentious “hot air” onboard in 2004, bringing a full-fledged Kyoto into force on February 16, 2005[ii]. Meanwhile, the developing countries (the G77) had declared at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in New Delhi in 2002 that they would never accept binding targets.

In sum, the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases have either rejected Kyoto (the US and Australia), have hollow targets (Russian hot air), have no targets at all (China and India), or have committed to the deal yet struggle to meet their targets (everyone else). Kyoto – as ambitious and important as it is – can be charitably described as a work in progress.

Nonetheless, Kyoto represents a significant achievement in international diplomacy, as the signatures of the 153 ratifying countries may attest. But Kyoto is only a small step on a long journey toward the 50 to 70 percent reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions eventually required. The task ahead is unprecedented and it would be foolish to think that the big solution is just around the corner. No one technology, approach or initiative can possibly be sufficient.

Our challenge now lies in determining where to go from here. Many meetings and discussions are underway to describe what a post-Kyoto climate regime might look like[iii]. Canada is hosting the next United Nation’s Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Montreal in November 2005, and Prime Minister Martin has asked the National Roundtable on Environment and Economy to advise Parliament on what Canada’s position should be. Given how long it took to get Kyoto off the ground, it’s safe to say that no one should hold his or her breath waiting for an international consensus on climate policy. But maybe we need to worry a little less about Kyoto and keep our eye on the real task at hand – namely, leanring how best to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Shifting the emphasis

We need to dramatically ramp up our search for innovations that allow individuals, communities, companies, institutions, states, provinces and nations to reduce greenhouse gases – wherever, whenever and however they can. Rather than remaining preoccupied with the symbolic commitments of governments at international meetings like Kyoto, let’s equip ourselves with a toolbox of examples, tactics, strategies and actions for reducing greenhouse gases at every possible opportunity.

We can connect climate change with local issues by demonstrating that actions to reduce greenhouse gases will reduce climate risk and provide multiple benefits in other areas

Technology does not appear to be the biggest barrier to action. Canadian energy analyst Ralph Torrie has produced an analysis showing Canada already has the technological wherewithal to reduce emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and in doing so find annual savings of $30 billion![iv] And yet, our emissions continue to rise. Plainly, technical ingenuity abounds. What we need are tools to overcome the implementation gap – tools that will help us understand the barriers to action and devise strategies to overcome these barriers.

Strategies and policies that reduce greenhouse gases emerge from a diversity of places for a multiplicity of reasons. This diversity is welcome because local realities provide the context for making sense of climate risk.

Four categories of policy tools are particularly important for overcoming the implementation gap (see “Policy Tools, p. 30). These tools make sense even in the absence of an international framework like Kyoto. In other words, we can get started now.

Communication

Climate change is sufficiently complex that average citizens could be forgiven for ignoring it in their day-to-day lives. Scant communication efforts by government, industry, public institutions and the media about climate risk (not to mention the concerted lobby for policy lethargy by some industry voices) do little to bring climate change to the forefront of the Canadian [v]imagination. Even the centrepiece of Canada’s climate communication efforts, Rick Mercer and the One-Tonne Challenge, seems to be falling on deaf ears because Canadians simply don’t know enough about climate change to care. Recent focus groups on the One-Tonne Challenge concluded that people could not “articulate what the challenge is about or why it is important. They had no understanding of why they would want to participate or even what a tonne is[vi].”

The first job at hand is to get serious about the money and effort required to communicate effectively with the public about climate change. We need a robust and meaningful discussion about the risks of climate change and the costs of action, whatever each may be. Communication will need to come from many sources (scientists, politicians, artists/musicians, industry leaders), through many venues (person-to-person, electronic, media/publicity, print materials, advertisements, philanthropic efforts), and to a variety of audiences[vii]. Communication will need to be two-way, so that the public can speak with experts and decision make[viii]rs.”Where governments have failed to effectively communicate about climate change, industry and non-governmental organizations have filled the void – at times with misinformation intended to cast doubts upon the robust scientific consensus and to stir fears of economic doomsday for any climate policy that goes beyond voluntary efforts.

Technology is not the biggest barrier to action. Canada already has the technological means to reduce emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and in doing so find an annual savings of $30 billion

Reframing the climate issue

In order to change attitudes toward climate policy, it will be necessary to reframe these policies so that they align with local priorities. If the costs – broadly defined – of reducing greenhouse gases are perceived to be too high, few people will support new measures regardless of how seriously they view climate risk. We must find the sales pitches that will convince people to change their behaviour (or accept policies that will change behaviour) from business as usual.

Fortunately, economists tell us that “no-regrets” actions – those that we should take even absent the risk of climate change – are common in climate policy. Public health professionals know the ancillary benefits of cleaner air. Municipalities strive to create more livable communities with abundant public transit and vibrant urban cores. Business strategists increasingly think that competitive advantages accrue to those who address environmental concerns. Engineers describe the myriad financial benefits of energy efficiency, while nations and regions are recognizing that decentralized energy systems can be cheaper and more secure. The common thread here is the attempt to connect climate change with a local issue by demonstrating that actions to reduce greenhouse gases will not only reduce climate risk (something most people now agree to be worth- while) but also provide multiple benefits in other ways.

Greenhouse gas reduction needn’t be left to national governments and their multilateral agreements: Any organization or individual can participate in a group effort to reduce greenhouse gases, on any number of levels and for any number of reasons. In fact, the most effective partnerships may be those that benefit each party in different ways. I might agree to car pool with my neighbour because I am concerned about climate risk while she might simply want to save some money on parking. Or a company might agree to offset its emissions by developing a renewable energy project in a developing country, as the Clean Development Mechanism of Kyoto allows. (Kyoto’s Clean Development Mechanism, which supports sustainable development and greenhouse gas reductions, offers an important opportunity to build trust in climate policy and provide meaningful and locally controlled development.)

Climate change is a global problem, but we needn’t wait for global solutions. Many smaller-scale local approaches will be
required. Luckily the tools for engaging community concern and commitment to act are already at our fingertips.

Building partnerships and collaboration

Partnerships can also be formed between cities or states and provinces, as has recently happened in the US. On June 13, 2005, the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement was passed by the US Conference of Mayors, an organization to which 1183 US cities with populations greater than 30,000 belong. To date, 188 mayors have signed on, committing to meet or beat Kyoto targets in their cities. And on the West Coast, the governors of California, Oregon and Washington have formed their own West Coast Governors’ Climate Initiative.

Major public and private sector emitters – who are unable to sign or reject Kyoto – could form a coalition of leaders in greenhouse gas reductions to share experiences, pitfalls and best practices. Some enlightened industrial emitters could even band together to lobby the government for more aggressive action on climate change. The Prince of Wales’ Business & the Environment Programme did just that in the UK recently, calling upon Tony Blair – a known political champion of climate action – to do even more[ix].” In its letter to the Prime Minister, the group of CEOs and senior executives recognized investment in a low-carbon future as a “strategic business objective”. They asked the government to take steps to address the “Catch 22” situation the private and public sectors find themselves in with respect to climate policy, “in which governments feel limited in their ability to introduce new climate change policy because they fear business resistance, while companies are unable to scale up investment in low- carbon solutions because of the absence of long-term policies.” In Canada, the Clean Air Renewable Energy Coalition includes major corporations, five environ- mental organizations as well as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. They form a partnership with different but overlapping objectives that has success- fully lobbied the federal government for more incentives for renewable energy.

What we need are tools that will help us devise strategies to overcome the barriers to action

Partnership and collaboration will also be needed for sharing knowledge and stimulating social learning about climate policy. A vast literature points to the role of social networks in creating pressure for encouraging environmentally desirable behaviour[x]. Whatever form this collaboration takes, it is sure that greenhouse gas reductions, when they occur, will reflect the local cultural and social understanding of climate risk and possible policy solutions.

Changing market incentives

The climate is an enormously undervalued global resource. Any initiative that attempts to make the market work for the climate by internalizing the cost of greenhouse gases will serve to reduce these emissions. There are so many options available to governments, corporations[xi] and institutions: emissions trading schemes, renewable portfolio standards, product efficiency standards, renewable energy and conservation subsidies, eco-labelling schemes, mandatory and voluntary greenhouse gas reporting schemes, offset programs, and research and development funding. In addition, pressures from private investors (e.g., the Carbon Disclosure Project), insurers, and consumers (e.g., Green Tag programs) are morphing climate change into a full-fledged business issue. Conspicuously absent from this list of market mechanisms, yet urgently needed, is the reduction of government subsidies to the fossil fuel sector.

The emergence of fiscal measures such as emissions trading and carbon taxes (in practice in Europe and soon in Canada) represents an important signpost to the market that greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced. As this market matures, actions will quickly follow.

The need for these market signals cannot be overstated: There are trillions of dollars in new energy infra- structure needed over the next two decades to satisfy the world’s growing energy needs. The right incentives and. market signals can set the stage for enormous chance toward a low-carbon economy.

Time to get started

The enormity of climate change can often lead us to think that only a global solution will work. Indeed, we often seem to be waiting for the next big thing: a technological fix like fuel cells, hybrid vehicles, renewable energy Or clean coal; or a global policy framework like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol or whatever comes after Kyoto. But in the continued absence of the “big fix”: a multiplicity of policy approaches, agreements and actions from a variety of individual, institutional, corporate, non-profit and government actors makes the most sense.

Kyoto will remain important to climate policy – but it may eventually outlive its useful purpose. It may be replaced – or complemented – by a series of smaller partnerships and networks on climate change at regional (e.g., NAFTA), national (e.g., bilateral agreements between Canada and the US or between Japan and China), subnational and sectoral levels.

While progress on international climate agreements might be slow, action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions need not be. Locally relevant and acceptable approaches to reducing greenhouse gases will hopefully continue to emerge throughout the world, sometimes motivated by reasons other than climate change.

The decentralized approach to climate policy recognizes that policy choices and actions should reflect local realities. A toolbox of policy tools and options will increase the likelihood that individuals, communities, organizations and governments find the reasons and means to reduce their greenhouse gases. It’s time to get started!

The post Local Heroics appeared first on A\J.