Category Climate Change

NOTE: During this pandemic, and always, immediate safety, health and other concerns come before discussion on other related issues. Discussion on policies during the pandemic, their implications and choices we make collectively for the future do not, in any way, minimize the impacts of the present crisis.

Also, we have approx 200 new people (and growing rapidly) joining us here via the new Menno Adventures Facebook business page. Welcome here! 🙂

Impacts from this pandemic are being felt in countless ways. I have put things into some rough (but not exhaustive) categories below. Naturally, many resources could be cross-referenced to more than one category, but are listed in only one spot.

Emissions

With the global shutdown, it is true the actual, real-time emissions are down. However, climate change is a result of many decades of emissions. This halt, if followed by a huge surge in emissions when the shutdown ends, will not result in any net positive impacts on climate change. However, if this crisis is used as an opportunity to create better systems, locally and globally, we can increase the changes of turning things around before it’s too late.

Global lockdowns might reduce CO2 emissions but won’t halt climate crisis, scientists say: CBC

Oil Companies Are Collapsing Due to Coronavirus, but Wind and Solar Energy Keep Growing: NYT

Financial help for airlines ‘should come with strict climate conditions’: Guardian

Food

Ban wildlife markets to avert pandemics, says UN biodiversity chief : Guardian.

There has also been a fair bit of coverage around the increase in baking bread and other food-related changes that I have seen in the last few weeks. It will be interesting to see where this leads. Plant-based staples (eg dried beans etc) are, in my opinion, much easier and more cost-effective to stock up on than frozen meat, for example. Will this change how people eat once the crisis is over?

Economy/Universal Basic Income

Ottawa is handing out $2,000 cheques to out-of-work Canadians. Could a basic income be next? Star

Tackle climate crisis and poverty with zeal of Covid-19 fight, scientists urge Guardian

To be very clear, I, and countless others, based on the overwhelming climate science, are calling for an end to fossil fuel use and other significant changes to how we eat, live and go about our days, without the added stress and crisis that a pandemic brings. Also, we are asking that major fossil fuel companies and other not be bailed out, with public funds, to continue to earn private profit at the expense of the climate. Protect workers, not wealthy corporations – especially those that are heavily polluting.

As with any crisis, tackling the climate crisis requires a multi-faceted response. Eating red meat three times/week has a certain carbon footprint, as does one medium-length flight/year. Instead of debating which particular change to recommend or justifying poor emissions choices (ie “Flying is bad, so everyone should be encouraged to eat as much red meat as they want because it’s not as bad…” or “My per capita emissions aren’t as bad as others so I don’t have to change” any other combination), let’s all do our best to be sustainable, given our own individual circumstances, out of desire for a livable world for everyone. 🙂

I am supportive of a universal basic income, free post-secondary education, a Green New Deal and job retraining for anybody who wants to transition to a cleaner job. (There are lots of details on various ways to do a Green New Deal for anybody who wants to read further on this.) The only, possible silver lining that I see to this crisis is if we use it to build a better future for everyone. 🙂

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Hi all,

I’ve been away for a bit, as other plans have been continually adjusting over the last week or two. I have also debated whether to write about the pandemic, or avoid it/take a break, and focus on something else. So, as a compromise, I’m going to do a bit of both. I’m going to focus on how we can use this pandemic to reset parts of how we operate, to ensure that we come out of this into a local and global community that is better than it was before.

NOTE: We have been at home, as a family, for almost 2 weeks, since school was shut down here. No known exposure to anything at this point, and we are all healthy so far. We are going for walks around the block etc, but not much more than that. We are grateful for our cold room (well stocked with flour, oats and lots of other good things), our bread machine, dehydrator and instant pot, and the fact that we have been able to order things online for delivery.

Pandemic and Climate Crisis:

Without wanting to minimize the very significant impacts of the virus in any way, I think that there is a lot that we can learn from this crisis, in order to avert further climate damage before it’s too late. If there is any silver lining, a massive global Green New Deal, with massive action to avert the worst of the climate crisis, is it.

The Covid-19 crisis is a chance to do capitalism differently: Guardian

Why don’t we treat the climate crisis with the same urgency as coronavirus?: Guardian

What could change look like?

To be clear, I am not proposing that nobody ever leave their house again. However, there is a lot that we can keep from this shutdown that could help deal with the climate crisis.

SUVs second biggest cause of emissions rise, figures reveal: Guardian – If we can leave our big vehicles at home more in the future, and use public transit/drive a smaller EV etc, the impact would be significant. Likewise, if companies have adjusted and found ways to get work done with less driving/flying to meetings, there is to reason to go back to status quo when this is over.

‘Individual actions do add up’: Christiana Figueres on the climate crisis: Guardian

Toronto Star: Did free cash drive people to quit work? Not according to a new study of Ontario’s basic income experiment. (Star) – This pandemic is yet another reason for countries to implement a universal basic income, starting ASAP. 🙂

No putting meat on expenses, says property firm: BBC News – I actually saw this one before the pandemic, and it is an interesting, if somewhat complicated response to impacts of food choices on climate and business. 🙂

And, naturally, it goes without saying that I am not supportive of fossil fuel subsidies, or bailouts of large companies that are making massive profits at the expense of people or creation. I support workers, and retraining for anybody who wants, and a universal basic income. 🙂

Doing nothing will lead to more crises in the future. Let’s use this crisis as an opportunity to build the better world that so many people have been seeking for so long. 🙂

This is not a new theme (here or in other circles.) However, the world has become so wildly economically unjust, and a small percentage of people are now so wealthy, at the expense of a fair and just world, that more radical solutions are needed. To be clear, I am talking, partly, about the ultra-wealthy here. However, even among the rest of the world, there is still a lot of inequality – and we can not declare ourselves completely innocent just because we don’t own a private plane or a yacht. 🙂

If someone own two homes (or a house and a cabin/cottage), they are more wealthy than most of the world. If someone live in a big North American house, with a big North American SUV, they are among the wealthiest in the world.

The Guardian: Britons reach Africans’ annual carbon emissions in just two weeks. I have sometimes been encouraged not to include this kind of data – because some people feel that it is not relevant, or it’s unfair or any number of other reasons. I acknowledge that there are differences in context (eg I have found it easier to live in a slightly smaller space when I’m in a warmer climate, and don’t need room for heavy winter clothes etc). However, I also think that we have more control over our choices than we sometimes admit – and our choices affect our carbon emissions, and our place in the world.

If we start from the premise of “I should never have to live like someone somewhere else…”, it’s technically true, but then we immediately absolve ourselves of the responsibility to look at our own choices (directly and via the governments that we elect), and see where we can do better, and how we fit into the bigger picture. Maybe our homes in cold climate are a bit bigger than in warm climates to help with long winters, but they could still be a lot smaller than what many people are living in.

Maybe having a vehicle is necessary, but a compact EV (with trains and other public transit used more often) would work instead of the gas-guzzling SUV used more often. Maybe making a choice to live closer to amenities, with less land/house for ourselves, would make it easier to walk and use public transit more often. We can all do our part to close the gap. 🙂

Here is some of what I have been reading in the last few months:

‘Socialism for the rich’: the evils of bad economics: Guardian

Mark Zuckerberg’s plea for the billionaire class is deeply anti-democratic: Guardian

Think billionaires are just super-rich people? Big mistake Guardian

The next few are related to financial redistribution…

What could the US afford if it raised billionaires’ taxes? We do the math: Guardian – Naturally not an exhaustive list, simply looking at some of the ways that a more just and equitable society could emerge from greater income equality.

Salon: Even a wealth tax isn’t enough: It’s time for an income tax based on economic inequality.

How to Fund ‘Medicare for All’: Slash the Military NYT

And here are a few calls from those who have wealth, asking for greater taxation…

‘Traitors to their class’: meet the super rich who want to be taxed more: Guardian

America needs to seriously tax the rich – I should know, I’m one of them: Guardian

Toronto Star: The federal government needs to tax our inheritances.

… And why that matters for the health of people, and the planet. 🙂

FOK website

NOTE: I am not a certified nutritionist. This is general information only, to the best of my knowledge.

At various times, such as in presentations or conversations, the question of dairy, carbs or other specific food items comes up, particularly as plant-based eating is often part of the discussion at hand.

One of the ones that has been raised is that of dairy – a result of the heavy industry marketing-influences on the earlier versions of the Canada Food Guide. Many people still hold the belief that dairy is essential for health, and that whole-foods plant-based (WFPB) eating is leading them astray.

In a similar manner, sometimes the question of carbs comes up in discussions, as being contradictory to common fad diets, such as keto, paleo etc. To the best of my knowledge, there can be value (from a digestive health perspective, for example, and also from a spiritual perspective), to the practice of fasting (intermittent or other), while done carefully and with proper guidance.

However, the idea of eating a heavily animal-based protein diet (regardless of what it is called eg keto or paleo etc), seems problematic to me – both for individual health and for the health of the planet. There is strong science backing up both the health and environmental benefits of a WFPB diet, and likewise, strong evidence of the damage, to people and planet, caused by a heavily animal-based diet.

I do not know all of the background of how the low-carb trend took off, but there is a quick summary here, which is a shorter version of some of what is in the updated China Study book. Here are a few quotes:

The human body, which does not have the ability to make food from the sun, also happens to use carbohydrates as its main energy source. For example, our brain and red blood cells depend specifically on glucose (a carbohydrate) for normal functioning and energy.

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By telling people to avoid or significantly limit carbs in general, the low-carb movement has erased the crucial distinction between unprocessed and processed foods—creating an entirely new paradigm that goes against everything we know about nutrition and health.

Long-Term vs. Short-Term
If you eliminate carbohydrates from your diet and put your body into a state of ketosis, whereby it’s forced to burn fat to make ketones for energy, it can lead to short-term weight loss. But keeping your body in a state of ketosis is neither sustainable nor healthful, and it does not fulfill the long-term promise of effective weight loss. Indeed, observational population studies show that high-protein, high-fat diets are associated not only with more health problems but also obesity. (Bold mine)

When looking at long-term and sustained weight loss without mandated exercise or calorie restriction, the most effective eating pattern has been shown to be a whole-food, plant-based diet (low in fat and high in unprocessed carbohydrates).

FOK website

Going further into details regarding the rise of the Atkins and other similar low-carb, high (animal) protein “diets”, the writer says:

The chair of Harvard’s Department of Nutrition said that the Atkins diet was “nonsense” and “dangerous.” The prestigious Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics called the diet “unbalanced, unsound, and unsafe.” But no amount of criticism stopped the diet’s popularity and the newfound fear of carbs it perpetuated. (Bold mine.)

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That may be why cardiologist Dr. Kim Williams vigorously promoted a plant-based vegan diet during his tenure as president of the American College of Cardiology, and once famously said, “There are two kinds of cardiologists, those who are vegan and those who have not read the evidence.” (Bold mine).

FOK

In light of the health and environmental impacts of heavy consumption of animal-based foods/proteins, both individually and communally, it’s time to find ways to add more low emissions, whole/plant-based foods into how we eat. Let’s find ways to celebrate amazing rice bowls with veggies and tofu, homemade granola with plant-based milk and all of the other endless options that are available to us in the plant-based world – not as a sacrifice, but as one small, joyful step towards ensuring that we all have enough healthy food to eat, and a thriving planet, that we all share, to live on. 🙂

CBC

True – with one clarification. The time to end fossil fuel subsidies is not just now. The time was decades ago, and somehow it still hasn’t been done. We absolutely can not transition to a clean energy economy as long as we are spending money supporting fossil fuels.

The amounts at stake here are staggering:

A post-tax estimate includes direct subsidies, along with what fossil fuels cost in terms of their negative social impact, such as pollution and global warming. An International Monetary Fund (IMF) report places Canada’s post-tax subsidy to the fossil fuel industry at an astounding $43 billion US in 2015-16, which amounts to nearly one-fifth of the current federal budget. (On a global scale the IMF post-tax estimate is astronomical: $5.2 trillion US in 2016, or 6.5 per cent of global GDP.) (Bold mine).

CBC

If we want to invest that money in clean energy, I am completely supportive. If anybody who works in the fossil fuel industry wants to retain, I completely support paying for some retraining to learn how to install solar panels, or some other clean energy project. Likewise, if somebody is on a farm that grows animals for meat or dairy consumption and is losing business as trends change, I want them to be able to support their families, and would happily support redirecting some of that fossil fuel subsidy money to helping them change their farm over to something more sustainable.

I do not believe the critics, who say that others are going to continue burning fossil fuels, so we can continue, with a clear conscience, until the worst offenders stop, and then we’ll stop after that. We don’t use that logic in anything else. Imagine what it would sound like if we did… “There’s somebody in my class who isn’t studying or doing their homework. So, until they get straight A’s, I’m not doing any homework…” or “Once everybody else in the world stops smoking, then I will too, but I’m not going to be the first. If I stop, somebody else will buy that pack of cigarettes, so I might as well buy it for myself…”

We rise or fall together, as a planet, and we are each responsible for doing our best – to bring the global average up, together. Supporting the fossil fuel industry brings the average down for all of us, and change is past due. There is lots that we can do: pressure our local MP to support an end to these subsidies, sell our gas vehicles and buy electric and/or use public transit as much as possible, live in a smaller house (or apartment) that needs less energy to heat, install rooftop solar panels, reduce or eliminate animal products in our diet, Lots has already been done, and we still have a long ways to go. We’re in this together – let’s make it happen. 🙂

Forks Over Knives

More reasons to leave cow milk consumption in the past – for health and environmental reasons, with meat in the same category. 🙂

The review summarized here looks at the relationship between dairy and both weight loss and bone strength, as well as the environmental impacts of the dairy industry. This is further evidence that the past claimed health impacts of dairy are not accurate. It should be noted that the Canadian food guide has now (finally) removed dairy as a category – although the messaging from earlier versions seems to still be very much a part of how most of the country views dairy consumption. There has been a definite shift in the last number of years, but dairy milk/cheese/yogurt is still dominant in grocery stores etc.

In addition to health concerns, the review examines the environmental costs of meeting the USDA’s dairy-intake recommendations. The authors note that the impact of industrial dairy production on greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, water use and pollution, and antibiotic resistance is 5 to 10 times greater per unit of protein than the production of soy and other legumes as well as most grains. The authors suggest that limiting dairy production could benefit us globally, making it easier to reach international greenhouse-gas targets. (Bold mine).

The report concludes that milk is not an essential part of the diet, and calcium can be obtained elsewhere—and not just from obvious dairy alternatives: “Some people want to consume a white liquid, and there are now many options, such as nut milk, oat milk, and soy milk,” says Willett. “It is important to use one without added sugar. However, white liquid consumption is not nutritionally necessary, and adequate calcium can be obtained from many other foods, especially greens such as kale and also broccoli.”

Link

CBC.ca: GO ridership from Kitchener jumps 40 per cent, Metrolinx report says.

Numbers show ‘if you build it, they will come,’ Waterloo mayor says

CBC

More incentive to continue to work at leaving the car at home and taking the GoTrain/bus for these kinds of trips. Let’s continue to add incentives to the system to put resources towards greater public transit, in all forms, instead of more highways and parking lots. 🙂

Greta Thunberg Shares Op-Ed Calling Out Trudeau’s Climate Hypocrisy – HP

Liberal MPs Urge Trudeau To Reject Massive Alberta Oilsands Mine – HP

Trudeau’s continued failure to act substantively on climate change has to end. While pretending to care about climate action, Trudeau and the Liberals continue to act in ways that can not be justified – and they are rightly being called out, by environmentalists, and even by some of their own MPs.

”If an alcoholic assured you he was taking his condition very seriously, but also laying in a 40-year store of bourbon, you’d be entitled to doubt his sincerity.”

(Bill McKibben, quoted by Greta Thunberg)

HP

So, to hold this government to account, I am suggesting contacting your MP (whether Liberal or other), and the PM’s office, asking for an immediate commitment to the following:

1) Immediate end to all fossil fuel subsidies, no new fossil fuel or nuclear projects and a rapid phase out of existing projects, with all funds put towards clean projects/sustainability.

2) Support for immediate implementation of Proportional Representation, to give the Green Party and others the voice that they rightfully deserve at the table.

3) Substantial climate targets – with annual and 5-year goals – that are in line with the best science. A theoretical aim to be climate neutral by 2050 is meaningless. If they need something easy to grasp, how about this? 1% reduction/month = approx 10% per year, which then leads to carbon neutral in 10 years, and carbon negative after that. 🙂

I have heard, too often, from a few Liberals (those that I have spoken to about this, which is obviously not a representative sample), that anything that they do has to be considered “good enough”, and we shouldn’t complain, because others – parties or provinces or countries or whoever they can find – are doing less. However, doing the right thing is not a race to the bottom, there is a lot of room for improvement, and it needs to start now. 🙂

Here are a few glimmers of light:

Guardian to ban advertising from fossil fuel firms: Guardian

CBC.ca: Sobeys removing plastic bags from its stores on Friday. Other single use plastics bans hopefully coming soon, based on several reports of possible movement with the Canadian federal government.

Public opinion, though, will need some work, at least in some circles. We were picking up a few things at a Zehrs location yesterday, and the person bagging noticed our cloth bags, but still tried to put things into a plastic bag. When we declined, he said something like “Well, if you don’t want single use plastic bags, why don’t you go to Sobeys instead of shopping here?” Instead of walking away and talking my business somewhere else right then, I suggested that Zehrs match Sobeys and get rid of the single use plastic, as well. Not sure that he got the message, but at least I said it – and I doubt that he is responsible for the corporate decision-making at Zehrs, anyways. Hopefully change will come sooner rather than later, because single use plastic (of all kinds) is a change that I have been requesting for a long time. 🙂

Link here

Higher density communities are a must, for a whole range of reasons. Let’s see this as something to embrace and celebrate, instead of something to resist. 🙂

It’s well established that detached-home neighbourhoods use more energy and put a much larger burden on municipal infrastructure, per person, than higher-density neighbourhoods. It’s not a coincidence that Toronto — the only city in the Greater Toronto Area with any real urban density — has the lowest residential property taxes of any city in the region, while the least dense, most outlying communities tend to have the highest.

Link