nationalobserver--2020-10-26--Community forest dividends go well beyond logging profits

An innovative approach to forestry is increasing the returns to local economies in a way that goes beyond just focusing on profits .
Community forests are a means to keep benefits and decisions around local resources in local hands , said Susan Mulkey , communication manager for the British Columbia Community Forest Association ( BCCFA ) .
“ Community forests are all about the greater good , ” Mulkey said , and profits generated don ’ t benefit distant shareholders as they might in industrial logging enterprises .
“ When you look at corporate forestry companies , their job is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are managed to include other values.
” Community stakeholders decide how forests are managed in a manner consistent with locally defined objectives and values , Mulkey said .
• Biden not alone in warning of 'dark winter ' .
Canada 's top physician paints bleak picture , too .
• Here ’ s where to find every wind turbine in Canada Susan Mulkey , of the British Columbia Community Forest Association ( BCCFA ) , says community forests create more jobs than the industry average .
Photo : courtesy of Susan Mulkey .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of stewardship for it , ” she said , adding each community forest ’ s objectives are unique and reflect local priorities .
Forestry decisions ensure local jobs and local economic development , but also take into account a community ’ s environmental objectives , cultural values and recreational needs , she added .
“ So , that may include protecting watersheds or riparian areas , ” Mulkey said , adding logging operations might also be adapted to preserve recreational uses such as community trails or mountain biking routes .
In doing so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to rural communities , Mulkey said .
BCCFA ’ s most recent indicator report shows community forests they create 85 per cent more jobs per cubic metre than the industry average in forestry , logging and support services .
`` We should be empowering communities to be responsible for their land based as much as possible , ” said Noba Anderson , Cortes Island regional director , about the economic , environmental and social value of community forests .
The local forestry initiatives also generated an average of $ 1.84 million in economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in cash and in-kind contributions to local projects .
It ’ s also notable that community forests looking to mitigate the risks associated with climate change have tripled investments in wildfire management , above and beyond legal requirements , Mulkey said .
The initiatives are based on Community Forest Agreements ’ 25-year renewable licences for Crown land that provide the exclusive right to harvest timber and to manage any botanical forest products in the allotted area .
There are 59 Community Forest Agreements ( CFAs ) provincewide , representing 100 different rural and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents .
The CFAs are managed by First Nations , local government or community-held organizations ; almost half the tenures are held by First Nations or are partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities , Mulkey said .
Cortes Community Forest is a good example of a collaborative agreement between the Klahoose First Nation and the local non-Indigenous community , Mulkey said .
“ These partnerships are an intrinsic part of reconciliation , and the building of relationships between indigenous and non-indigenous communities , ” she added .
The community forest , located on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vancouver Island , was established in 2013 and encompasses approximately 3,869 hectares of Crown land .
It is located within Klahoose traditional territory and encompasses approximately 35 per cent of the island ’ s land base .
The forest is run by the Cortes Forestry General Partnership ( CFGP ) , with the Klahoose and Cortes Community Forest Cooperative ( CCFC ) as equal partners .
The goals of the community forest include sustainable forestry management that accommodates sensitive ecosystems , maintains bio-diversity , supports the local economy , operates as a viable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cortes Island regional director Noba Anderson says the community forest ’ s operating principles serve the community well .
“ I think this is a real fantastic example of what can be done , ” Anderson said .
“ I certainly think it 's a great way to go , and we should be empowering communities to be responsible for their land based as much as possible.
” Cortes was in the lucky position of having critical support from the Klahoose , Provincial forest lands that weren ’ t already tenured to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engaged public , Anderson said .
Compared to industrial logging , harvest rates in the community forest are extremely modest , and managed to be sustainable for generations .
Plus the forest contributes to the local economy , Anderson said .
“ The beauty of cutting a small amount regularly is it can feed the three or four really active local Mills here , ” she said .
“ But the next step is really creating value added industry where people craft high value items ( from the wood ) .
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to forestry management , said Anderson , and one that does n't condone old growth logging .
“ Some people would prefer no cutting at all…but I think it ’ s about as good as forestry can be , shy of horse logging , ” she said .

An innovative approach to forestry is increasing the returns to local economies in a way that goes beyond just focusing on profits. Community forests are a means to keep benefits and decisions around local resources in local hands, said Susan Mulkey, communication manager for the British Columbia Community Forest Association (BCCFA). “Community forests are all about the greater good,” Mulkey said, and profits generated don’t benefit distant shareholders as they might in industrial logging enterprises. “When you look at corporate forestry companies, their job is to maximize profits, but community forests are managed to include other values.” Community stakeholders decide how forests are managed in a manner consistent with locally defined objectives and values, Mulkey said.
Susan Mulkey, of the British Columbia Community Forest Association (BCCFA), says community forests create more jobs than the industry average. Photo: courtesy of Susan Mulkey. “People have more of a sense of stewardship for it,” she said, adding each community forest’s objectives are unique and reflect local priorities. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Forestry decisions ensure local jobs and local economic development, but also take into account a community’s environmental objectives, cultural values and recreational needs, she added.
“So, that may include protecting watersheds or riparian areas,” Mulkey said, adding logging operations might also be adapted to preserve recreational uses such as community trails or mountain biking routes. "We should be empowering communities to be responsible for their land based as much as possible,” said Noba Anderson, Cortes Island regional director, about the economic, environmental and social value of community forests. In doing so, community forests simply bring more jobs to rural communities, Mulkey said. BCCFA’s most recent indicator report shows community forests they create 85 per cent more jobs per cubic metre than the industry average in forestry, logging and support services. The local forestry initiatives also generated an average of $1.84 million in economic activity, as well as $558,309 in cash and in-kind contributions to local projects. It’s also notable that community forests looking to mitigate the risks associated with climate change have tripled investments in wildfire management, above and beyond legal requirements, Mulkey said.
The initiatives are based on Community Forest Agreements’ 25-year renewable licences for Crown land that provide the exclusive right to harvest timber and to manage any botanical forest products in the allotted area. There are 59 Community Forest Agreements (CFAs) provincewide, representing 100 different rural and Indigenous communities with average populations of 4,000 residents. The CFAs are managed by First Nations, local government or community-held organizations; almost half the tenures are held by First Nations or are partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, Mulkey said.


nationalobserver--2020-10-26--Electric cars, heating could save the climate and $2,500 per U.S. household

This article was originally published by Huffington Post and appears here as part of Canada 's National Observer 's collaboration with Climate Desk .
Optimistic visions of America ’ s climate future look dramatically different from life today .
The population abandons the suburbs for dense , efficient urban housing .
Personal cars give way to bikes and green public transit .
Those who can make the sacrifice sweat out the summer heat , rationing the air conditioning for those who most need it .
The alternative , so goes this line of thinking , is apocalyptic chaos .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miles and blast the A/C to cool single-family suburban homes all summer long and actually reduce U.S. emissions of climate-changing gases by 40 per cent ?
Not only is it possible , according to a new study , the average household would save up to US $ 2,500 a year and do it with technology that ’ s on the market today .
• Biden not alone in warning of 'dark winter ' .
Canada 's top physician paints bleak picture , too .
• Here ’ s where to find every wind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday morning , is the second major report from Saul Griffith , the physicist , MacArthur “ genius grant ” winner and energy researcher behind the group Rewiring America .
The group , which aims to rapidly decarbonize the U.S. by electrifying all aspects of the economy , made its debut in July with a report that found doing so would create 25 million good-paying jobs and eliminate roughly 75 per cent of the country ’ s carbon emissions in the next 15 years .
The conclusions ran “ contrary to conventional wisdom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an “ oddly optimistic ” picture , Vox energy columnist Dave Roberts observed in a thorough write-up of the first report , noting that all the U.S. needed was “ a serious commitment to building the necessary machines and creating a regulatory and policy environment that supports their rapid deployment.
” Griffith ’ s latest results could help spur the political will to make that commitment .
Two years ago , Griffith ’ s research outfit Otherlab won a contact from the Department of Energy to aggregate all the publicly available data on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy into one model .
Combining those data showed that the way decarbonization is usually discussed , as a sector-by-sector approach , is flawed .
Real-life energy usage does not fit in the neat categories the federal Energy Information Administration created at its founding in the 1970s .
Electrifying a home heating system not only reduces emissions from the residential sector but also from the industrial sector that produced the old equipment and the utility sector that once provided the fuel , meaning national-scale household changes can make much larger cuts to U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research shows the U.S. could rapidly decarbonize with existing technology and no real lifestyle changes .
# renewableenergy To calculate the savings in the latest report , Griffith established a baseline of energy costs per household , broken down using the Energy Information Administration ’ s state data , and identified the equipment required to electrify those energy uses .
His team then built an “ Electrification Exchange Rate ” model to convert each unit of current energy services into an equivalent in an electrified world , accounting for the reality that a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used to travel a mile today can be exchanged for a fraction of a ( kilowatt-hour ) for the same mile travelled in an electric vehicle.
” Then the study looked at costs .
Griffith ’ s team calculated future electricity costs by blending the current price of electricity in each state with the financed cost of rooftop solar .
They analyzed the cost savings from future total household electrical load and the upfront costs of buying all this new equipment , then estimated the yearly financing payments based on different interest rates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the annual fuel savings to determine the real savings possible for each household in each state and performed some extra calculations to account for different conditions in each state .
“ The technology conversation is based on existing technology , ” Griffith said .
“ We assume no behaviour change in the household.
” The “ good ” model renders the yearly cost savings at about $ 1,000 per household .
The “ great ” model finds savings of up to $ 2,500 .
“ There ’ s this notion hanging in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be made , ” said Adam Zurofsky , a constitutional lawyer who helped oversee New York state ’ s climate and energy portfolio and who now serves as Rewiring America ’ s executive director .
“ No , this is actually a way for us to stimulate the economy , put people back to work and put money back in people ’ s pockets.
” In a counterintuitive twist on what ’ s become green dogma on decarbonization , “ it ’ s actually suburban households that do the best , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the true-efficiency environmentalists and those who believe city living is the future for everyone , but the suburbs stand to benefit the most economically , ” he said .
By applying the same household model to commercial businesses , the U.S. could slash its total carbon emissions by 65 per cent .
Dramatically cutting the climate pollution of the world ’ s No .
2 emitter alone will not keep global temperatures from climbing two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial averages , a benchmark beyond which projections show catastrophic weather , droughts and sea-level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political might of the U.S. , other countries would almost certainly follow suit , putting the world on track to avert a current warming trajectory on pace to far surpass two degrees by the end of the century .
To begin deploying electric vehicles , heating systems , cooking equipment , batteries and rooftop solar panels at scale , the White House would need to take rapid steps in the next two years to lower costs , ramp up manufacturing and streamline permitting .
This is no easy task .
But federal tax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot of the heavy lifting , along with procurement deals from the government directly .
As a model , federal authorities could look to the Federal Housing Authority and Fannie Mae , two programs President Franklin D. Roosevelt created in the 1930s amid the Great Depression .
By essentially deciding “ homes were critical national infrastructure deserving of the best possible financing rates , ” these programs “ created the largest capital market ever to exist in the world , before or since , ” the report found .
Griffith wants to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electric cars , heat pumps , rooftop solar panels and batteries .
Brian Lawson and Kenesaw Burwell work on panels that the U.S. Energy Department is using to leverage a Power Purchase Agreement with Sun Edison and Xcel Energy .
Photo by Science in HD on Unsplash Another New Deal program , the Electric Home and Farm Agency , helped the federally owned Tennessee Valley Authority offload its oversupply of electricity from hydroelectric dams to homes by providing Treasury-backed loans to buy more electric appliances .
Reviving that program , which was disbanded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Revving U.S. manufacturing capacity to mass-produce the machines needed to make the transition would require a federal intervention in the economy unlike anything seen since Roosevelt pressed companies into cranking out the arms and ammo that ultimately helped win World War II .
That could invite pushback from the political right , which couches its opposition to curbing carbon emissions in an ideological hostility to government command over the market .
In its “ field manual ” for decarbonizing the economy , Rewiring America argues : “ The invisible hand of markets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ typically takes decades for a new technology to become dominant by market forces alone as it slowly increases its market share each year .
A carbon tax isn ’ t fast enough , either .
Market subsidies are not fast enough.
” But the programs outlined in the report would make the cost of electric vehicles and home equipment “ so cheap that even the right will get on board , ” Griffith said by phone Wednesday evening .
“ This will help us turn the politics of this because it will start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
There ’ s nothing stopping the Trump administration from doing this other than the president ’ s antipathy toward climate science and fealty to the fossil fuel companies whose profits would suffer most from such a rapid transition .
But these changes seem much more likely to take place if Democratic challenger Joe Biden , who has vowed to transition the country to 100 % carbon-free electricity by 2035 , wins next month ’ s election .
“ What the climate needs is for Biden to turn into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Griffith said .
Unless Biden takes those steps , he said , “ we ’ re not going to hit a two-degree target .
”

This article was originally published by Huffington Post and appears here as part of Canada's National Observer's collaboration with Climate Desk. Optimistic visions of America’s climate future look dramatically different from life today. The population abandons the suburbs for dense, efficient urban housing. Personal cars give way to bikes and green public transit. Those who can make the sacrifice sweat out the summer heat, rationing the air conditioning for those who most need it. The alternative, so goes this line of thinking, is apocalyptic chaos. But what if Americans could drive the same miles and blast the A/C to cool single-family suburban homes all summer long and actually reduce U.S. emissions of climate-changing gases by 40 per cent? Not only is it possible, according to a new study, the average household would save up to US$2,500 a year and do it with technology that’s on the market today.
The finding, published Thursday morning, is the second major report from Saul Griffith, the physicist, MacArthur “genius grant” winner and energy researcher behind the group Rewiring America. The group, which aims to rapidly decarbonize the U.S. by electrifying all aspects of the economy, made its debut in July with a report that found doing so would create 25 million good-paying jobs and eliminate roughly 75 per cent of the country’s carbon emissions in the next 15 years. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The conclusions ran “contrary to conventional wisdom in the energy space” but painted an “oddly optimistic” picture, Vox energy columnist Dave Roberts observed in a thorough write-up of the first report, noting that all the U.S. needed was “a serious commitment to building the necessary machines and creating a regulatory and policy environment that supports their rapid deployment.”
Griffith’s latest results could help spur the political will to make that commitment. New research shows the U.S. could rapidly decarbonize with existing technology and no real lifestyle changes. #renewableenergy Two years ago, Griffith’s research outfit Otherlab won a contact from the Department of Energy to aggregate all the publicly available data on how energy is used in the U.S. economy into one model. Combining those data showed that the way decarbonization is usually discussed, as a sector-by-sector approach, is flawed. Real-life energy usage does not fit in the neat categories the federal Energy Information Administration created at its founding in the 1970s. Electrifying a home heating system not only reduces emissions from the residential sector but also from the industrial sector that produced the old equipment and the utility sector that once provided the fuel, meaning national-scale household changes can make much larger cuts to U.S. climate pollution than previously believed. To calculate the savings in the latest report, Griffith established a baseline of energy costs per household, broken down using the Energy Information Administration’s state data, and identified the equipment required to electrify those energy uses. His team then built an “Electrification Exchange Rate” model to convert each unit of current energy services into an equivalent in an electrified world, accounting for the reality that a “fraction of a gallon of gasoline used to travel a mile today can be exchanged for a fraction of a (kilowatt-hour) for the same mile travelled in an electric vehicle.” Then the study looked at costs. Griffith’s team calculated future electricity costs by blending the current price of electricity in each state with the financed cost of rooftop solar. They analyzed the cost savings from future total household electrical load and the upfront costs of buying all this new equipment, then estimated the yearly financing payments based on different interest rates. They then subtracted the finance payments from the annual fuel savings to determine the real savings possible for each household in each state and performed some extra calculations to account for different conditions in each state.
“The technology conversation is based on existing technology,” Griffith said. “We assume no behaviour change in the household.” The “good” model renders the yearly cost savings at about $1,000 per household. The “great” model finds savings of up to $2,500. “There’s this notion hanging in the air that there are sacrifices needed to be made,” said Adam Zurofsky, a constitutional lawyer who helped oversee New York state’s climate and energy portfolio and who now serves as Rewiring America’s executive director. “No, this is actually a way for us to stimulate the economy, put people back to work and put money back in people’s pockets.”


nationalobserver--2020-10-26--From Canada comes an app to ease America's voting anxiety

As voter turnout in the U.S. stalks new records , a Toronto entrepreneur is hoping his new app will help @ @ @ @ @ with casting a ballot in 2020 .
Users of the app , called Glimpse Social @ @ @ @ @ map for the polling station they hope to visit , then drop a `` pin @ @ @ @ @ looking for information .
Other users who are already at the location can then upload @ @ @ @ @ about the length of the lineup or whether people are wearing face masks .

Voters in the United States are shattering turnout records despite long lineups, fear of civil unrest and the dangers of COVID-19 — and a Canadian company is doing its part to protect Americans from the perils of casting a ballot. Glimpse Social is a free smartphone app that aims to harness the power of crowdsourcing to help voters gauge conditions at any of the more than 200,000 polling stations in the U.S. before heading out to vote. "The more people that use it, the more effective it is," said founder Jonathan Baldock, a Toronto-based entrepreneur and social-media expert. The idea is simple: a user of the Glimpse Social looks at a map of the U.S. to locate the polling station where they plan to cast their ballot, then drops a "pin" nearby to indicate to others that they are looking for information. "They would say, for example, how long is the line, are people wearing (personal protective equipment) — whatever it is they want to know," Baldock said.
"And as long as somebody is within 250 yards of that pindrop, then they'll be able to answer that question." The more users of the app there are in the area, the more answers to the original question, which can be delivered via video, photos or text from the scene. The result is a more detailed, eyewitness-account portrait of conditions at that polling station. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions And while demand for absentee and mail-in ballots has been high as a result of the pandemic, Americans have for weeks been turning out in droves to vote in person in an election that's still eight days away.
Of the more than 60.5 million ballots already cast across the U.S., one-third of them — more than 20 million — were delivered in person, according to the U.S. Elections Project, run by University of Florida politics professor Michael McDonald. Voters in the United States are shattering turnout records despite long lineups, fear of civil unrest and the dangers of COVID-19 — and a Canadian company is doing its part to protect Americans from the perils of casting a ballot. Only 47 million early votes were cast in 2016, making it clear 2020 is on course to set a new mark for voter turnout in the United States. "From what I've seen so far, when we see the polls open for early voting, there's huge lines already," Baldock said. Many early voters have expressed concerns about whether mailed ballots would arrive in time, or whether they would be counted at all, given President Donald Trump's constant and baseless claims they are a vector for electoral fraud. "People are feeling like, 'I need to go in person because I need to ensure my vote counts,' or, 'I need to go in person because if I mailed something in, for whatever reason, it may not be accurately tallied.'
"The demand is there to go out and vote in person." But Glimpse Social needs fuel to run, and it runs on users — users willing to set aside any particular partisan affinity they might feel to help their fellow Americans exercise their democratic right to vote. "I think it really comes down to everyone that is voting is an American, whether they're on the left or the right," Baldock said.


nationalobserver--2020-10-26--The BC NDP's big election win is a triumph for Canadian civil society

With close to a third of ballots still waiting to be counted , it ’ s hard to fully analyze B.C.
’ s 2020 election just yet .
But there ’ s enough information in the 1.2 million votes that have been counted to be grateful for a few things .
Contrasting our election to the U.S. election campaign this past month , British Columbians live in a remarkably civil society .
This is worth fighting for and defending against efforts to degrade it 100 per cent of the time .
In this election , British Columbians did just that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ given a strong rebuke in ridings where this was the voting issue .
This included North Vancouver-Seymour , where three-term MLA and former North Vancouver school trustee Jane Thornthwaite lost by a wide margin to a first-time NDP challenger , registered nurse Susie Chant .
There is probably no one in British Columbia who doesn ’ t know that Thornthwaite was recorded in a BC Liberal online roast for former North Shore MLA Ralph Sultan using degrading language to describe fellow NDP MLA Bowinn Ma .
Before losing the seat by a wide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voted solidly centre right since before you could buy a fax machine .
In case you ’ re wondering , Ma was re-elected and had one of the largest NDP riding gains in the province .
Another battleground where civil society was on the ballot was Chilliwack-Kent , which , prior to the election , was held by MLA Laurie Throness , who subscribes to transphobic and homophobic views such as a belief in conversion therapy .
On election night , ballots counted showed him losing by a slim margin .
It may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Throness was an incumbent with 53 per cent in the last election and the riding has never before gone NDP .
It shouldn ’ t even be close .
• Biden not alone in warning of 'dark winter ' .
Canada 's top physician paints bleak picture , too .
Poor-bashing and stigmatizing were also shown the door by voters in several urban battlegrounds .
High-profile candidates like former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan and former two-term Vancouver councillor George Affleck — both from the Non-Partisan Association , a right-wing civic party — relentlessly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Their election results were well below expectations .
Hopefully , this puts an end to the tactic by both these serial politicians and others who might have thought grandstanding on misfortune helps at the ballot box .
This was also the first election in B.C.
’ s modern history that was contested without corporate or union donations and with strict limits on individual donations .
Spending caps were also lower .
Campaign finance reform is the kind of policy that is successful precisely because you don ’ t notice it .
It can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but good campaign finance policy can ensure that elections are fairer and thus better reflect our aspirations , which is a great way to maintain a civil society .
While we wait for the mail-in and absentee ballots to be counted , a word to the new NDP majority government from my own experience in a three-term government : winning a strong majority can be the worst thing to happen to a party .
This is especially true in two circumstances , both of which exist in this case .
First , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the NDP candidates and campaign teams worked very hard to secure the votes they received , and they deserve credit for that work .
At the same time , there is no question that their main opponent — the BC Liberals — ran a terrible campaign .
It reminded me a lot of the epically bad NPA loss in the 2011 civic election when the opposing Vision Vancouver party swept every seat it contested .
It is always a mistake to view this kind of crushing win as an untempered mandate to govern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that voters support all your policies .
I co-chaired Environment Minister George Heyman ’ s re-election bid , and I am also a staunch opponent of the NDP ’ s policies on LNG and Site C and a critic of their lack of significant action on drug and education policy reform .
I don ’ t see a contradiction in my support but , rather , logic that if I support the majority of their policies and also want to change their minds on the ones I don ’ t support , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the team than shouting from the sidelines , at least for now .
And that ’ s the rub .
A government should never assume the votes sent its way imply full endorsement of its platform .
You should always govern as though you are on a knife ’ s edge .
Premier John Horgan has made encouraging comments in this regard since Saturday night ’ s big win .
If his caucus members follow his lead and demonstrate that ethos in their work over the next four years , most British Columbians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past month .

With close to a third of ballots still waiting to be counted, it’s hard to fully analyze B.C.’s 2020 election just yet. But there’s enough information in the 1.2 million votes that have been counted to be grateful for a few things. Contrasting our election to the U.S. election campaign this past month, British Columbians live in a remarkably civil society. This is worth fighting for and defending against efforts to degrade it 100 per cent of the time. In this election, British Columbians did just that. Misogyny, transphobia and homophobia were given a strong rebuke in ridings where this was the voting issue. This included North Vancouver-Seymour, where three-term MLA and former North Vancouver school trustee Jane Thornthwaite lost by a wide margin to a first-time NDP challenger, registered nurse Susie Chant. There is probably no one in British Columbia who doesn’t know that Thornthwaite was recorded in a BC Liberal online roast for former North Shore MLA Ralph Sultan using degrading language to describe fellow NDP MLA Bowinn Ma. Before losing the seat by a wide margin Saturday night, North Vancouver-Seymour had voted solidly centre right since before you could buy a fax machine. In case you’re wondering, Ma was re-elected and had one of the largest NDP riding gains in the province. Another battleground where civil society was on the ballot was Chilliwack-Kent, which, prior to the election, was held by MLA Laurie Throness, who subscribes to transphobic and homophobic views such as a belief in conversion therapy. On election night, ballots counted showed him losing by a slim margin. It may yet flip on mail-in ballots, but Throness was an incumbent with 53 per cent in the last election and the riding has never before gone NDP. It shouldn’t even be close.
Poor-bashing and stigmatizing were also shown the door by voters in several urban battlegrounds. High-profile candidates like former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan and former two-term Vancouver councillor George Affleck — both from the Non-Partisan Association, a right-wing civic party — relentlessly attacked the poor and drug users. Their election results were well below expectations. Hopefully, this puts an end to the tactic by both these serial politicians and others who might have thought grandstanding on misfortune helps at the ballot box. This was also the first election in B.C.’s modern history that was contested without corporate or union donations and with strict limits on individual donations. Spending caps were also lower. Campaign finance reform is the kind of policy that is successful precisely because you don’t notice it. It can’t make a society more civil, but good campaign finance policy can ensure that elections are fairer and thus better reflect our aspirations, which is a great way to maintain a civil society. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions While we wait for the mail-in and absentee ballots to be counted, a word to the new NDP majority government from my own experience in a three-term government: winning a strong majority can be the worst thing to happen to a party. This is especially true in two circumstances, both of which exist in this case.


nationalobserver--2020-10-26--Sobering COVID-19 milestones reached by hardest hit Canadian provinces

The Canadian provinces hardest hit by the global COVID-19 pandemic released sobering numbers on Sunday , with Quebec 's overall case count passing the 100,000 mark and Ontario registering more than 1,000 single-day cases for the first time since the start of the worldwide outbreak .
Despite registering comparable daily tallies , the two provinces long at the epicentre of Canada 's COVID-19 outbreak appeared to be on opposite trajectories .
Public health experts noted that Quebec 's long-standing high case counts appeared to be levelling off , while stressing the week ahead will be crucial to bring Ontario 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health officials reported 879 new cases , bringing the province 's total to 100,114 infections .
The province also recorded 11 additional deaths attributed to the virus , for a total of 6,143 .
`` Comparing the past two weeks , we see that the number of cases is stable , but remains high , '' Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube said on Twitter , urging people to make an effort to reduce transmission of the virus .
• Biden not alone in warning of 'dark winter ' .
Canada 's top physician @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Here ’ s where to find every wind turbine in Canada The province 's recent COVID-19 numbers are more encouraging than they were last month , however , said Helene Carabin , a professor at Universite de Montreal .
Carabin said Quebec 's COVID-19 reproduction number , which measures the virus ' ability to spread , is slowly creeping lower — a positive sign that indicates people are following public health guidelines .
`` The population has clearly understood that in order to limit transmission , we have to be more careful , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` We 're going in the right direction , unlike what was the case in September .
Now what it tells us is that probably we will continue to have to keep being very careful during the winter months for it not to creep up . ''
Dr. Theresa Tam , Canada 's top public health officer , said in a statement Sunday that a `` resurgence '' of COVID-19 continues across the country .
Tam said there is a concern that Canada has not yet seen the full impact of the recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and deaths generally lag behind case numbers .
Quebec 's COVID-19 cases leveling off but this week will be crucial to bring Ontario 's surging numbers back under control .
# COVID-19 # Ontario # Quebec Canada had 215,879 total cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday , including 9,940 deaths .
Manitoba announced 161 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday and the deaths of four people — two of which were related to an outbreak at a Winnipeg long-term care home where 17 people have now died .
Saskatchewan reported 60 new cases , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was set on Saturday , and no new deaths have been reported since Oct. 11 .
Public health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador reported one new case of COVID-19 , while officials in New Brunswick reported two new infections and two additional deaths .
In Ontario , which recorded more than 1,000 new cases in a 24-hour period on Sunday for the first time since the pandemic took hold , at least one medical expert voiced concerns about the overall trend of the provincial figures .
The province reported 1,042 new COVID-19 cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peak of 978 new infections .
It also reported seven new deaths related to the novel coronavirus .
`` Obviously no one wants to see 1,000 new cases per day , '' said Dr. Isaac Bogoch , an infectious disease specialist and researcher at Toronto General Hospital .
Bogoch said that while the cause of the recent spike is not entirely clear , the week ahead will offer a critical window for assessing the province 's progress in combatting the pandemic .
`` Are we going to start to see a plateau in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy implementation in the hotspots in Ontario , '' Bogoch asked , referring to major metropolitan regions where the bulk of the province 's latest cases have been concentrated .
`` Or will we see a continuing growth in the number of new cases per day ? ''
Both Ontario and Quebec have reimposed restrictions over the past several weeks to try to contain the spread of the virus during the second wave of the pandemic .
Several regions of Quebec , including Montreal and Quebec City , were placed under the highest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closure of bars and other public venues .
Quebecers in high-risk areas have also been told to avoid seeing anyone who does not live in their household .
In Ontario , Premier Doug Ford has promised to provide an update on Monday on whether the Halton and Durham regions would join Toronto , Peel , Ottawa and York in `` modified Stage 2 '' of the province 's economic reopening plan .
Indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people in Stage 2 regions , and gyms , casinos , cinemas and other venues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Public health officials across Canada have urged people to be extra vigilant during the second wave of the pandemic , as colder weather pushes people indoors .
In her statement , Tam said influenza and other respiratory infections place an added strain on hospitals in the fall and winter months , making it even more important to heed preventative measures .
`` Right now , doing the best thing to keep our family , friends and community safer means keeping safely apart , '' she said .
On Sunday , 278 people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus , including 79 in intensive care .
In Quebec , 551 hospitalizations were recorded , of which 97 were in intensive care .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25 , 2020 .
-- with files from Holly McKenzie-Sutter in Toronto , Rob Drinkwater in Edmonton and Michael MacDonald in Halifax .

The Canadian provinces hardest hit by the global COVID-19 pandemic released sobering numbers on Sunday, with Quebec's overall case count passing the 100,000 mark and Ontario registering more than 1,000 single-day cases for the first time since the start of the worldwide outbreak. Despite registering comparable daily tallies, the two provinces long at the epicentre of Canada's COVID-19 outbreak appeared to be on opposite trajectories. Public health experts noted that Quebec's long-standing high case counts appeared to be levelling off, while stressing the week ahead will be crucial to bring Ontario's surging numbers back under control. Quebec health officials reported 879 new cases, bringing the province's total to 100,114 infections. The province also recorded 11 additional deaths attributed to the virus, for a total of 6,143. "Comparing the past two weeks, we see that the number of cases is stable, but remains high," Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube said on Twitter, urging people to make an effort to reduce transmission of the virus.
The province's recent COVID-19 numbers are more encouraging than they were last month, however, said Helene Carabin, a professor at Universite de Montreal. Carabin said Quebec's COVID-19 reproduction number, which measures the virus' ability to spread, is slowly creeping lower — a positive sign that indicates people are following public health guidelines. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions "The population has clearly understood that in order to limit transmission, we have to be more careful," she said in an interview.
"We're going in the right direction, unlike what was the case in September. Now what it tells us is that probably we will continue to have to keep being very careful during the winter months for it not to creep up." Quebec's COVID-19 cases leveling off but this week will be crucial to bring Ontario's surging numbers back under control. #COVID-19 #Ontario #Quebec Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's top public health officer, said in a statement Sunday that a "resurgence" of COVID-19 continues across the country. Tam said there is a concern that Canada has not yet seen the full impact of the recent increase in COVID-19 cases, as hospitalizations and deaths generally lag behind case numbers. Canada had 215,879 total cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday, including 9,940 deaths. Manitoba announced 161 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday and the deaths of four people — two of which were related to an outbreak at a Winnipeg long-term care home where 17 people have now died.
Saskatchewan reported 60 new cases, down from its record-high of 78 that was set on Saturday, and no new deaths have been reported since Oct. 11. Public health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador reported one new case of COVID-19, while officials in New Brunswick reported two new infections and two additional deaths. In Ontario, which recorded more than 1,000 new cases in a 24-hour period on Sunday for the first time since the pandemic took hold, at least one medical expert voiced concerns about the overall trend of the provincial figures.


nationalobserver--2020-10-26--What's a forest worth?

What's a forest worth?

Forests have historically been valued on an industrial scale , managed to maximize the amount of timber cut .
But when they aren ’ t clearcut , they also offer other valuable resources that advocates say should be recognized as well .
Wild mushrooms — morels , chanterelles , pine mushrooms — grow thick in the B.C .
backwoods .
Prized by chefs around the world , they ’ re largely ignored in B.C.
’ s forestry legislation despite sitting at the heart of a cash-based , gold rush-worthy global trade in non-timber forest resources .
“ ( We need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we stop looking at the forest just for the trees , ” said Shelby Leslie , CEO of Forest Foods Ltd. , a non-timber forest resource company that supports First Nations wanting to enter the industry .
“ We ( need to ) start incorporating the understory , start incorporating food production , ( and ) look at biodiversity from an … ecological point of view to really sustain us.
” Ferns , berries , other tree species and complex webs of mycorrhizae and bacteria are essential to the ecosystems of old-growth , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , unlike more selective logging practices , destroy this complex ecosystem that develops in the understory and soil over decades .
And rapidly replanting those forests with uniform stands of the same tree species is equally problematic , he said , because the new plantations are too dense and homogenous to support similar understory ecosystems .
Wild mushrooms are among the non-timber resources that grow in B.C .
forests but are not included in the province 's forestry management plan .
Photo by Joe Stone .
“ There are forests ( in replanted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ call them forests because they don ’ t support ( much ) biodiversity , whether it ’ s mammalian , or botanicals , or fungi , ” Leslie said .
# Forests have historically been valued on an industrial scale , managed to maximize the amount of timber cut .
But when they aren ’ t # clearcut , they also offer other valuable resources that advocates say should be recognized as well .
# ntfp And that includes wild mushrooms and other non-timber forest products — except for morels , which grow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important commercial species of wild mushrooms depends on older , diverse forest ecosystems to thrive .
Chanterelles , which between 1995 and 2005 were worth an estimated $ 3.5 million annually in exports to Europe alone , do best in stands of Douglas fir between 40 and 80 years old .
They prefer open , mossy understories and shade .
Pine mushrooms require similar conditions , if a bit brighter , in forests of fir , hemlock and spruce that are at least 60 years old .
Between 2000 and 2003 , thousands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Japan to the tune of roughly $ 20 million annually .
Even clearcuts can be better managed to support the regrowth of a biodiverse ecosystem .
“ There ’ s an opportunity for agro-forestry within those clearcuts to try , when you ’ re bringing back ( the forest ) , to mimic an actual stand structure that could support that biodiversity , ” Leslie said .
For instance , huckleberries thrive in the open , sunny habitat created by clearcuts .
And until recent closures to protect grizzly bears ’ food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kootenay Boundary region was estimated to be worth between $ 91,000 and $ 685,000 .
A similar industry in the U.S. Pacific Northwest is estimated to be worth more than $ 1.6 million a year .
Despite the strong sales , the non-timber related industries remain largely underground .
The provincial Ministry of Forests , Lands , Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development is responsible for managing forestry on provincial Crown land — about 94 per cent of the province .
It does not monitor non-timber forest resources nor include them in its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a missed opportunity , said William Nikolakis , a lawyer specializing in Aboriginal and natural resource law and professor at UBC .
Forests could generate more economic value for the communities surrounding them if they were managed differently , Nikolakis explained .
Photo by Gathering Voices Society “ There ’ s economic loss ( in industrial forestry because ) we ’ re getting the lowest economic return we can from it , ” he said .
And even if the industry is worth more overall , a closer look at who actually benefits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the non-timber forest resources shows a more complex picture .
“ A lot of that revenue ( from industrial forestry ) gets dissipated and doesn ’ t end up in ( rural B.C .
and First Nation ) communities , ” he said , largely because in industrial logging , clearcuts will drive brief bursts of local economic activity as the forests are logged , followed by decades of stagnation as they recover .
The problem has been exacerbated by multinational pulp and paper and lumber companies which drive up industrial logging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paper factories outside the region , Nikolakis explained .
Several of the province ’ s mills have closed in recent years , leaving many in rural B.C .
without jobs .
In contrast , resources like mushrooms and berries come back every year with appropriate management , providing more stable incomes for the people picking them .
“ That raises fundamental questions about the economic returns from industrial forestry and how these add up over the long term compared to non-timber forest ( resources ) , ” he said .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenged , both through protests and in the courts , as they seek to assert title and rights , he said .
Some have started to manage their lands for a broader diversity of uses , which include mushroom and berry harvesting , and logging .
For instance , the Tsilhqot ’ in Nation , with which he has worked , has been particularly active in developing forest management plans for its title land that include non-timber resources .
Nor is a deeper questioning of who benefits most from the province ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Community forests in the province have pioneered more holistic management regimes and equitable distributions of benefits — but they only comprise a tiny proportion of logging tenures .
Changing those areas , the bulk of B.C.
’ s landmass , to be more biodiverse and support a more complex forest-based economy will take transforming provincial forestry legislation — a “ wholesale change .
”

Forests have historically been valued on an industrial scale, managed to maximize the amount of timber cut. But when they aren’t clearcut, they also offer other valuable resources that advocates say should be recognized as well. Wild mushrooms — morels, chanterelles, pine mushrooms — grow thick in the B.C. backwoods. Prized by chefs around the world, they’re largely ignored in B.C.’s forestry legislation despite sitting at the heart of a cash-based, gold rush-worthy global trade in non-timber forest resources. “(We need) to change forest values so that we stop looking at the forest just for the trees,” said Shelby Leslie, CEO of Forest Foods Ltd., a non-timber forest resource company that supports First Nations wanting to enter the industry. “We (need to) start incorporating the understory, start incorporating food production, (and) look at biodiversity from an … ecological point of view to really sustain us.” Forestry is huge in B.C., with lumber, pulp and paper, log exports and wood pellet production worth almost $30 billion combined in 2018. That year, about 67 million square metres of timber, the equivalent of millions of trees, was hauled out of the mountains on snaking forest service roads. The industry has also been a flashpoint of controversy, with generations of environmental activists opposing logging, particularly clearcut logging, in the province’s few remaining old-growth forests. That debate continues today, with the advocates pushing the provincial government to implement stronger protections for old-growth forests. And in September, the provincial government announced it would defer logging of 353,000 hectares of old-growth forests, a move critics said doesn't go far enough to protect the forests.
And old-growth forests aren’t the only concern, Leslie said. The province’s forest management policies have prioritized industrial logging where forests are clearcut and then replanted with uniform plantations slated to grow for several decades before being clearcut once again for the cycle to repeat. It’s a cycle embedded in the province’s forestry management legislation, the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA). The ministry was not available for comment during the writ period. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “I spent almost 20 years in reforestation. You become normalized to the scars on the landscape that are clearcuts,” Leslie said. “You work in a biological and ecological desert.”
Ferns, berries, other tree species and complex webs of mycorrhizae and bacteria are essential to the ecosystems of old-growth, and older second-growth, forests. Clearcuts, unlike more selective logging practices, destroy this complex ecosystem that develops in the understory and soil over decades. And rapidly replanting those forests with uniform stands of the same tree species is equally problematic, he said, because the new plantations are too dense and homogenous to support similar understory ecosystems. #Forests have historically been valued on an industrial scale, managed to maximize the amount of timber cut. But when they aren’t #clearcut, they also offer other valuable resources that advocates say should be recognized as well. #ntfp Wild mushrooms are among the non-timber resources that grow in B.C. forests but are not included in the province's forestry management plan. Photo by Joe Stone. “There are forests (in replanted areas), but you could hardly call them forests because they don’t support (much) biodiversity, whether it’s mammalian, or botanicals, or fungi,” Leslie said. And that includes wild mushrooms and other non-timber forest products — except for morels, which grow in recently burnt forests. The most important commercial species of wild mushrooms depends on older, diverse forest ecosystems to thrive. Chanterelles, which between 1995 and 2005 were worth an estimated $3.5 million annually in exports to Europe alone, do best in stands of Douglas fir between 40 and 80 years old. They prefer open, mossy understories and shade. Pine mushrooms require similar conditions, if a bit brighter, in forests of fir, hemlock and spruce that are at least 60 years old. Between 2000 and 2003, thousands of pounds of these mushrooms were sent to Japan to the tune of roughly $20 million annually.
Even clearcuts can be better managed to support the regrowth of a biodiverse ecosystem. “There’s an opportunity for agro-forestry within those clearcuts to try, when you’re bringing back (the forest), to mimic an actual stand structure that could support that biodiversity,” Leslie said. For instance, huckleberries thrive in the open, sunny habitat created by clearcuts. And until recent closures to protect grizzly bears’ food sources, the huckleberry harvest in the Kootenay Boundary region was estimated to be worth between $91,000 and $685,000. A similar industry in the U.S. Pacific Northwest is estimated to be worth more than $1.6 million a year.


nationalobserver--2020-10-26--Green jobs for youth the key to pandemic recovery in Canada

To change the course of student careers and society for the better , the Canadian government must launch a green jobs initiative for youth and give youth hope for themselves and their communities .
COVID-19 brought the lives of Canadian youth like me to a grinding halt .
Schools closed , graduations were cancelled , social events were curtailed and careers were derailed .
Unemployment rates for those aged 15 to 24 soared to a historical high of 29.4 per cent in May , up from 10.3 per cent in February .
Those who kept their jobs primarily carried out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ September , Statistics Canada reported one in four Canadians under 30 were “ NEET ” ― not in education , employment or training .
Jobs are returning more slowly for youth , and studies of the 2008 recession show that youth who are unemployed for long periods struggle to maintain employment later in life .
In short , young people living through this pandemic are at risk of becoming a lost generation .
Canada must lead in helping youth recover from unemployment by establishing a youth green jobs initiative within its COVID-19 recovery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warning of 'dark winter ' .
Canada 's top physician paints bleak picture , too .
As a 19-year-old post-secondary student deeply concerned about climate change , this initiative would be life-changing .
The certainty of stable , meaningful green jobs would alleviate my fears for the future — for myself and our planet .
After graduating high school in Burnaby , B.C.
, like many new ex-high schoolers , I struggled with the simple question of “ what next ?
” For me , one thing was clear : I wanted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and society .
But in high school , the career fairs , work experience and career-planning programs focused on traditional options — students could aspire to be teachers , doctors , lawyers , tradespeople and so on .
I couldn ’ t find information on green jobs — a field that includes interdisciplinary careers within business , non-profit organizations and government , jobs that genuinely contribute to a more sustainable world .
My main takeaway ?
Pursuing “ green jobs ” wasn ’ t a common , or even viable , career path @ @ @ @ @ @ @ message we give Canada ’ s youth .
`` # GreenJobs are society ’ s pathway to a green future — without them , we will lose the fight against # ClimateChange , '' writes Brennan Strandberg-Salmon .
Federal leadership that prioritizes our future is critical , both in terms of our careers and the viability of our communities facing environmental crises .
Green jobs are society ’ s pathway to a green future — without them , we will lose the fight against climate change .
Canada has made great strides to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ youth , but it ’ s not enough .
In June , Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced 500 green youth jobs in Canada ’ s clean technology and natural resource sectors .
More recently , the federal government funded Pivot 2020 , a program that hired 1,200 young people in 27 cities to develop a youth-informed public database to help planners , organizations and governments incorporate youth priorities into the post-pandemic urban recovery .
According to the program ’ s manager , the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eager to make a difference in their communities .
Clearly , more programs like this are necessary to meet the demand and need for sustainable and resilient communities .
A green jobs for youth initiative funded by the federal government and administered by local municipalities and community groups should provide green jobs in energy efficiency , low-carbon transportation , clean energy , ecotourism , ecodesign , sustainable agriculture and other sectors .
Canada can help youth recover from pandemic-driven unemployment rates and simultaneously increase local resilience and fight climate change .
By creating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early careers , Canada can inspire a generation of change makers capable of combating society ’ s biggest social and environmental problems for decades , laying the foundations of a safer , fairer and more sustainable world .
A passionate youth workforce would also reduce the incidence of mental health challenges and homelessness due to a lack of employment , and reduce the stress , grief and anxiety caused by social isolation and negative news .
I ’ m not the only one eager for change .
In July , youth leaders and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open letter urging the federal government to “ future-proof ” the Canadian economy by investing in Canada ’ s youth during COVID-19 .
The letter , which was co-created by Global Shapers community hubs across Canada , contains three central recommendations , including investing in youth job creation programs .

To change the course of student careers and society for the better, the Canadian government must launch a green jobs initiative for youth and give youth hope for themselves and their communities. COVID-19 brought the lives of Canadian youth like me to a grinding halt. Schools closed, graduations were cancelled, social events were curtailed and careers were derailed. Unemployment rates for those aged 15 to 24 soared to a historical high of 29.4 per cent in May, up from 10.3 per cent in February. Those who kept their jobs primarily carried out high-contact and low-paid essential work. In September, Statistics Canada reported one in four Canadians under 30 were “NEET” ― not in education, employment or training. Jobs are returning more slowly for youth, and studies of the 2008 recession show that youth who are unemployed for long periods struggle to maintain employment later in life. In short, young people living through this pandemic are at risk of becoming a lost generation. Canada must lead in helping youth recover from unemployment by establishing a youth green jobs initiative within its COVID-19 recovery strategy.
As a 19-year-old post-secondary student deeply concerned about climate change, this initiative would be life-changing. The certainty of stable, meaningful green jobs would alleviate my fears for the future — for myself and our planet. After graduating high school in Burnaby, B.C., like many new ex-high schoolers, I struggled with the simple question of “what next?” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions For me, one thing was clear: I wanted to have a positive impact on the environment and society.
But in high school, the career fairs, work experience and career-planning programs focused on traditional options — students could aspire to be teachers, doctors, lawyers, tradespeople and so on. I couldn’t find information on green jobs — a field that includes interdisciplinary careers within business, non-profit organizations and government, jobs that genuinely contribute to a more sustainable world. "#GreenJobs are society’s pathway to a green future — without them, we will lose the fight against #ClimateChange," writes Brennan Strandberg-Salmon. My main takeaway? Pursuing “green jobs” wasn’t a common, or even viable, career path. This can’t be the message we give Canada’s youth. Federal leadership that prioritizes our future is critical, both in terms of our careers and the viability of our communities facing environmental crises. Green jobs are society’s pathway to a green future — without them, we will lose the fight against climate change. Canada has made great strides to spur the growth of green jobs among youth, but it’s not enough. In June, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced 500 green youth jobs in Canada’s clean technology and natural resource sectors. More recently, the federal government funded Pivot 2020, a program that hired 1,200 young people in 27 cities to develop a youth-informed public database to help planners, organizations and governments incorporate youth priorities into the post-pandemic urban recovery.
According to the program’s manager, the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University, nearly 2,400 young people applied, eager to make a difference in their communities. Clearly, more programs like this are necessary to meet the demand and need for sustainable and resilient communities. A green jobs for youth initiative funded by the federal government and administered by local municipalities and community groups should provide green jobs in energy efficiency, low-carbon transportation, clean energy, ecotourism, ecodesign, sustainable agriculture and other sectors. Canada can help youth recover from pandemic-driven unemployment rates and simultaneously increase local resilience and fight climate change. By creating green job pathways for people in their early careers, Canada can inspire a generation of change makers capable of combating society’s biggest social and environmental problems for decades, laying the foundations of a safer, fairer and more sustainable world. A passionate youth workforce would also reduce the incidence of mental health challenges and homelessness due to a lack of employment, and reduce the stress, grief and anxiety caused by social isolation and negative news.


nationalobserver--2020-10-26--This young Canadian is pushing for industry to publish what they pay

As part of a series highlighting the work of young people in addressing the climate crisis , writer Patricia Lane interviews Emily Nickerson , director of Publish What You Pay Canada .
The 1990s were personally tough for me .
I spent the decade immersed in action based on climate catastrophe science , trying , and by all accounts failing , to stem the tide .
Hardest of all , death and dementia came to my family .
As my awareness deepened about the growing divide between young and old and rich and poor , grief had become a pretty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go further into the abyss of fear and loss or choose the only thing stronger : love .
To choose love is to hope .
But I had forgotten how .
So I made a resolution — one that could last a year or even a decade if need be .
I chose to study hope .
Part of my journey is to seek out promising young people who are contending in evidence-based and impactful ways with the climate crisis and engage them in conversations about hope .
I am grateful for Canada @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solutions journalism , which provides these determined , joyful and , yes , hopeful young people a voice .
Emily Nickerson is putting the pressure on Canadian fossil fuel and mining companies .
The 29-year-old engineering graduate is director of Publish What You Pay Canada , which urges fossil fuel and mining companies to publish how much money they give to governments , their plans for communities during the extraction period and more .
“ Citizens who have meaningful , accessible information will make the choices their communities need to stay healthy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden not alone in warning of 'dark winter ' .
Canada 's top physician paints bleak picture , too .
Originally from New Brunswick , Nickerson studied water resource engineering and is now doing a master of public policy at McGill .
“ I chose engineering because I appreciated how the discipline took complex problems and tried to weigh the costs and benefits to find a solution , '' she says .
`` I knew it was still largely a male bastion , but all my life I had watched my mother demonstrate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you , you could just go for it , regardless of gender.
” How did you get from engineering to social justice ?
Maude Barlow opened my eyes to the risks of privatization and the need for citizens to be more involved in management and decision-making about our natural resources .
This was reinforced through my undergrad research work where I worked with a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers to balance traditional and scientific knowledge in water infrastructure design .
I learned that better outcomes for people happen when different types of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ management is rooted in community participation and control .
There are better outcomes when communities have the transparency they need to fully participate .
Tell us about your work at Publish What You Pay Canada .
In 2015 , PWYP-Canada , a coalition of civil society groups , along with the Mining Association of Canada and the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada , successfully lobbied the government to pass the Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act ( ESTMA ) .
The lobbying effort succeeded despite opposition from the fossil fuel industry .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us how much money they pay various levels of government in taxes , royalties , infrastructure improvement payments and more for projects in Canada and around the world .
Emily Nickerson pushes Canada 's natural resource industries to become more transparent .
Photo courtesy of Publish What You Pay Canada Why do you think mining companies supported this legislation ?
Many companies and their investors believe transparency is critical to sound management of natural resources .
If communities have questions about how these companies contribute to their economy , this information can help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to their governments and ask for more information — for example , how a mining company ’ s royalty payments were used .
Does the law apply to the petroleum industry ?
Yes .
It applies to all extractive companies — mining and oil and gas .
After five years , it 's time for the government to focus more on compliance with the disclosure requirements .
What difference might having the information make ?
Citizens can assess whether the benefits promised are actually occurring .
How is my government using this money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hear many promises of jobs and government revenues .
Information on what is actually happening can shift the conversation .
People can decide whether the benefits outweigh the costs for their community .
How can older people support your work ?
This work is not just a project that gets done and is finished .
Funders of civil society have to support us to approach the conversation in a way that is much more organic and long-term .
Listen to our questions .
We need your wisdom to avoid mistakes , but we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
What advice do you have for young people ?
My parents taught me that my voice mattered , and so I used it .
Use yours .
Ask the awkward questions : Why do we do things that way ?
Is there another way to do it to serve different interests that might make life better for people ?
These questions are only awkward because as we get older , we stop asking them .
Go talk to your MP or your city councillor or the head of an NGO .
People @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think to spend time understanding your perspective .
Do it with others .
Coalitions get more done .
Learn to work with others who are not the same as you , but who share some common values .
We got the government to pass this super important law because we collaborated .
What keeps you awake at night ?
What kind of world will my future children and my nieces live in if we do not speed up our pace of change ?
As we come out of ( COVID-19 ) lockdown , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inequality , pollution , and dismissal of the suffering these cause or we can choose to move to a better society .
Fortunately , so many good people in government , NGOs and industry are working to align their behaviour with their values and reminding our governments that the people want and expect these changes .
I get to work with people in places where things are so unfair , but I see community leaders being effective and working hard .
This inspires me to hope .

As part of a series highlighting the work of young people in addressing the climate crisis, writer Patricia Lane interviews Emily Nickerson, director of Publish What You Pay Canada. The 1990s were personally tough for me. I spent the decade immersed in action based on climate catastrophe science, trying, and by all accounts failing, to stem the tide. Hardest of all, death and dementia came to my family. As my awareness deepened about the growing divide between young and old and rich and poor, grief had become a pretty constant companion. I could choose to go further into the abyss of fear and loss or choose the only thing stronger: love. To choose love is to hope. But I had forgotten how. So I made a resolution — one that could last a year or even a decade if need be. I chose to study hope. Part of my journey is to seek out promising young people who are contending in evidence-based and impactful ways with the climate crisis and engage them in conversations about hope. I am grateful for Canada's National Observer’s commitment to solutions journalism, which provides these determined, joyful and, yes, hopeful young people a voice. Emily Nickerson is putting the pressure on Canadian fossil fuel and mining companies. The 29-year-old engineering graduate is director of Publish What You Pay Canada, which urges fossil fuel and mining companies to publish how much money they give to governments, their plans for communities during the extraction period and more. “Citizens who have meaningful, accessible information will make the choices their communities need to stay healthy and resilient,” she says.
Originally from New Brunswick, Nickerson studied water resource engineering and is now doing a master of public policy at McGill. “I chose engineering because I appreciated how the discipline took complex problems and tried to weigh the costs and benefits to find a solution," she says. "I knew it was still largely a male bastion, but all my life I had watched my mother demonstrate that if you knew what mattered to you, you could just go for it, regardless of gender.” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions How did you get from engineering to social justice?
Maude Barlow opened my eyes to the risks of privatization and the need for citizens to be more involved in management and decision-making about our natural resources. This was reinforced through my undergrad research work where I worked with a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers to balance traditional and scientific knowledge in water infrastructure design. I learned that better outcomes for people happen when different types of knowledge drive the design process and where management is rooted in community participation and control. There are better outcomes when communities have the transparency they need to fully participate. Meet Emily Nickerson, a young Canadian who's pushing the country's natural resource industry toward greater transparency. Tell us about your work at Publish What You Pay Canada. In 2015, PWYP-Canada, a coalition of civil society groups, along with the Mining Association of Canada and the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, successfully lobbied the government to pass the Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act (ESTMA). The lobbying effort succeeded despite opposition from the fossil fuel industry. The act requires Canadian extractive companies to tell us how much money they pay various levels of government in taxes, royalties, infrastructure improvement payments and more for projects in Canada and around the world. Emily Nickerson pushes Canada's natural resource industries to become more transparent. Photo courtesy of Publish What You Pay Canada Why do you think mining companies supported this legislation?
Many companies and their investors believe transparency is critical to sound management of natural resources. If communities have questions about how these companies contribute to their economy, this information can help. In turn, citizens can go to their governments and ask for more information — for example, how a mining company’s royalty payments were used. Does the law apply to the petroleum industry? Yes. It applies to all extractive companies — mining and oil and gas. After five years, it's time for the government to focus more on compliance with the disclosure requirements.


nationalobserver--2020-10-27--Fixing Canada's 'exploitative' immigration system

Thousands of students who came to Canada recently with hopes they could move from school to permanent work and residency instead face falling into the cash economy or deportation without an urgent fix from Ottawa to what they say is a Kafkaesque immigration system .
One of them is Alina Przybyl , who worries she will be unable to find enough of the right kind of work to secure her life in Canada amid COVID-19 restrictions and a tight labour market .
“ I really want to get into front-line work , ” said Przybyl , who graduated in April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work diploma and plans to counsel assaulted women and children .
It is a predicament that could ensnare some 17,000 students and recent graduates holding expiring permits , whom activists say could be forced to leave by the end of the year .
“ Millions of people in Canada lost work and wages during COVID-19 , but for migrant students , there 's an added cost , ” said Sarom Rho , national co-ordinator for Migrant Students United .
“ Because without jobs , migrant students ca n't apply for permanent residency.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'dark winter ' .
Canada 's top physician paints bleak picture , too .
To protest that point , Rho , Pryzbyl and other migrant worker and student activists installed a three-metre-high postgraduate work permit at a downtown Toronto immigration office on Sunday .
Protesters hold a renewed postgraduate work permit outside an immigration office in downtown Toronto on Sunday , Oct. 25 , 2020 .
Photo by Simran Dhunna The students and activists were calling on Ottawa to make postgrad work permits ( PGWP ) renewable , and want the federal Liberal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the immigration system due to the pandemic .
These include counting all work towards employment requirements , removing time limits and industry restrictions , lowering the points requirement for skilled workers in Canada ’ s comprehensive ranking system and only charging migrant students domestic tuition rates .
International students with , or approved for , a study permit who will be attending a designated learning institution with a # COVID19 readiness plan approved by their provincial or territorial government may be able to travel to Canada .
pic.twitter.com/MzPCiyW58H — IRCC ( @ CitImmCanada @ @ @ @ @ @ @ current rules , Przybyl , a migrant student from Poland , says she needs to find full-time permanent work in her field or another highly qualified position for it to count towards requirements for an eventual permanent residency application .
International students and activists from @ MWACCanada presented an oversized postgraduate work permit at the offices of @ CitImmCanada , saying they need them renewed amid COVID-19 .
But most of the available jobs in her field are temporary or part-time positions , she said , acknowledging that domestic students face the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consequences .
“ I feel like I 'm completely detached from reality and there is someone making up weird immigration rules that don ’ t work for me and definitely do n't work for Canada , ” she said .
Przybyl was working as a waitress in the restaurant at Bodega Henriette when the pandemic hit .
She got another job in August , but her new employer couldn ’ t offer more than 15 hours a week and tighter restrictions reintroduced in Toronto two weeks ago ended that , too .
Protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it easier for recent graduates to stay in the country .
Photo by Jared Wong Rho said that with processing times stretching out much longer than before , some recent graduates are still waiting to hear back about their postgrad permit applications , meaning they do not hold an active social insurance number ( SIN ) and can not legally work or claim unemployment or pandemic relief benefits .
“ For students and workers , all migrant workers , because we do n't have equal status , it creates conditions of vulnerability and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ make profit off of precarity , ” said Rho from Migrant Students United , which is part of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change .
The plight of young people poised to join the ranks of Canada ’ s educated workforce before the pandemic hit is a key test of the Trudeau government ’ s commitment to ensuring both social justice and economic resiliency , the activists say .
Rho pointed out a member of Migrant Students United in Halifax , where there is a shortage of educational assistants , was offered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take it because it would not count towards the work experience she needs to present to Canadian immigration if she wants to stay on .
The office of Immigration , Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marco Mendicino did not respond to a list of questions posed on Friday afternoon by the time this article was published on Monday .

Thousands of students who came to Canada recently with hopes they could move from school to permanent work and residency instead face falling into the cash economy or deportation without an urgent fix from Ottawa to what they say is a Kafkaesque immigration system. One of them is Alina Przybyl, who worries she will be unable to find enough of the right kind of work to secure her life in Canada amid COVID-19 restrictions and a tight labour market. “I really want to get into front-line work,” said Przybyl, who graduated in April from George Brown College with a social work diploma and plans to counsel assaulted women and children. It is a predicament that could ensnare some 17,000 students and recent graduates holding expiring permits, whom activists say could be forced to leave by the end of the year. “Millions of people in Canada lost work and wages during COVID-19, but for migrant students, there's an added cost,” said Sarom Rho, national co-ordinator for Migrant Students United. “Because without jobs, migrant students can't apply for permanent residency.”
To protest that point, Rho, Pryzbyl and other migrant worker and student activists installed a three-metre-high postgraduate work permit at a downtown Toronto immigration office on Sunday. Protesters hold a renewed postgraduate work permit outside an immigration office in downtown Toronto on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020. Photo by Simran Dhunna Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The students and activists were calling on Ottawa to make postgrad work permits (PGWP) renewable, and want the federal Liberal government to make several other adjustments to the immigration system due to the pandemic.
These include counting all work towards employment requirements, removing time limits and industry restrictions, lowering the points requirement for skilled workers in Canada’s comprehensive ranking system and only charging migrant students domestic tuition rates. International students and activists from @MWACCanada presented an oversized postgraduate work permit at the offices of @CitImmCanada, saying they need them renewed amid COVID-19. International students with, or approved for, a study permit who will be attending a designated learning institution with a #COVID19 readiness plan approved by their provincial or territorial government may be able to travel to Canada. pic.twitter.com/MzPCiyW58H — IRCC (@CitImmCanada) October 21, 2020 Under the current rules, Przybyl, a migrant student from Poland, says she needs to find full-time permanent work in her field or another highly qualified position for it to count towards requirements for an eventual permanent residency application. But most of the available jobs in her field are temporary or part-time positions, she said, acknowledging that domestic students face the same dim prospects, but without such heightened consequences. “I feel like I'm completely detached from reality and there is someone making up weird immigration rules that don’t work for me and definitely don't work for Canada,” she said.
Przybyl was working as a waitress in the restaurant at Bodega Henriette when the pandemic hit. She got another job in August, but her new employer couldn’t offer more than 15 hours a week and tighter restrictions reintroduced in Toronto two weeks ago ended that, too. Protesters call on the federal government to make it easier for recent graduates to stay in the country. Photo by Jared Wong Rho said that with processing times stretching out much longer than before, some recent graduates are still waiting to hear back about their postgrad permit applications, meaning they do not hold an active social insurance number (SIN) and cannot legally work or claim unemployment or pandemic relief benefits.


nationalobserver--2020-10-27--Give 50.4% of the world back to nature — here's how

This article was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of Canada 's National Observer 's collaboration with Climate Desk .
In September , the United Nations released a report indicting world leaders for failing to halt biodiversity collapse .
Despite setting ambitious targets in 2010 to protect endangered ecosystems , we ’ ve lost a gut-wrenching 68 per cent of species since 1970 .
This isn ’ t just bad news for wildlife — it ’ s bad for us humans .
Without diverse species of birds , reptiles , mammals and the lands they inhabit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our climate , give us a buffer to prevent pandemics , provide vital natural resources and keep our air and water clean .
The solution is protecting habitat : specifically , 50.4 per cent of the earth ’ s land , according to the team of scientists led by Eric Dinerstein , wildlife scientist and director of the research organization RESOLVE .
That ’ s a major increase from the 15.1 per cent of land area currently protected .
• Biden not alone in warning of 'dark winter ' .
Canada 's top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Formerly chief scientist for the World Wildlife Fund ( yes , the one with the panda logo ) , Dinerstein helped create the conservation protocols that are protecting some of the world ’ s most beloved natural spaces , from the Galapagos to the Himalayas .
His most recent call to action is a collaboration between RESOLVE , the University of Minnesota , Arizona State University and art and science nonprofit Globaïa .
Called “ Global Safety Net , ” the report isn ’ t the first to call for the conservation and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it does go a step further .
Researchers identified the exact land areas that need to be protected to prevent climate collapse and estimated the potential carbon storage for each region .
The Global Safety Net app features an interactive map of those areas , made in partnership with Google Earth Engine .
Here , Dinerstein talks about how the climate and conservation movements can join forces , and why saving half our land means saving the world .
His remarks have been edited for length and clarity .
Q : Climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
How do we better connect the solutions ?
A : By nature , humans compartmentalize .
People who know the most about climate science are often atmospheric scientists who don ’ t study biodiversity science beyond grad school .
Similarly , there aren ’ t many biodiversity scientists who have a really fundamental understanding of atmospheric science .
And institutions keep them apart even further .
The United Nations has one agency for climate change and one for biodiversity , and the two don ’ t interact .
But these existential threats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collapse is protecting habitat : specifically , 50.4 % of the earth ’ s land , according to the team of scientists led by Eric Dinerstein , wildlife scientist and director of the research organization RESOLVE .
Let ’ s zoom in on the Amazon rainforest as an example .
As temperatures rise and the atmosphere dries out , much of those incredibly rich areas for biodiversity revert to savannahs .
The trees that are adapted to wet rainforest conditions get pushed past their physiological limits and croak , creating biomass fuel for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And instead of pulling carbon dioxide out of the air , burning trees are now pumping it back into the atmosphere , accelerating the climate crisis .
Climate scientists and biodiversity scientists need to come together to form one field of “ earth science ” in the true sense of the word .
It ’ s the only chance of saving life on Earth .
Global Safety Net calls for protecting half the world ’ s land .
How do we get to that target ?
Fortunately , about 50 per cent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considered intact , semi-intact or slightly degraded — meaning that land has lost some but not all its health and productivity .
So there ’ s enough land that doesn ’ t overlap with human populations available for preservation , and the Safety Net proposal deliberately chooses not to intersect with existing agriculture and the built environment .
Fifteen per cent of the Earth ’ s land is already protected .
An additional 12 per cent of land is inhabited by Indigenous people , who are experts in biodiversity .
If we officially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right to steward those ecosystems — and in their decision-making power they allow us to designate that land as part of the Global Safety Net — then the total protected regions would reach 27 per cent .
All we need to do is set aside another 23 per cent — and we can get there .
Just look at COVID-19 , and how the behaviour of society can change on a dime if need be .
We just need to recognize that we have to take certain measures to conserve our species and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agriculture ?
Will that leave enough land for growing ?
The truth is , the world was producing enough food in 2015 to feed 10 billion people — that ’ s 2.2 billion more people than we have on Earth today .
The international food system is full of mismanagement and waste .
Thirty-seven per cent of the world ’ s surface is dedicated to intensive agriculture , but 77 per cent of that land is used to grow crops to feed livestock .
If western , industrialized societies stopped eating so much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continent to grow and feed people locally , rather than shipping internationally , we could cut food waste and end hunger .
We don ’ t need more land — we need to fix our broken food system .
What do we do with that land once it ’ s preserved ?
And how will it actually fight climate change ?
We have to draw down carbon dioxide to prevent the worst consequences of the climate crisis , and we can do that through restoration .
Once the land is preserved , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up and down mountains to allow larger mammals like tigers to migrate between habitats .
That involves expertly replanting carbon-sucking trees and other native plants .
In the process , we could employ hundreds of millions of people , which is desperately needed during the current economic crisis .
All this should be done in combination with a moratorium on deforestation by 2040 , and a transition to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2050 .
If we put these three pieces together , we have a safe pathway to a sustainable biosphere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We have the tools at our disposal if we just do it .
Some of our world leaders can ’ t even admit that climate change is real .
How do we get them to commit to this when we ’ ve got serious human problems going on — like a pandemic ?
!
Well , pandemics happen as a direct result of biodiversity loss .
There have been a number of cases of zoonotic spillover of diseases — or viruses jumping from wildlife populations to humans — in the past couple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic is likely to come from the Amazon .
As we clear more tropical forest , we expose ourselves to the interior forest and the animals that live there .
By keeping these forests and these habitats intact , we ’ re creating a natural vaccine for the next coronavirus .
The most critical countries for the Safety Net are the U.S. , India , Russia , China and Brazil .
Those governments aren ’ t typically sympathetic to environmental problems .
But look at how fast the status quo is changing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ California , the fifth largest economy in the world , signed an executive order phasing out gas-powered cars by 2035 .
We need more dramatic changes like that in the conservation and climate sectors that will put us on the right path , and I think it ’ s entirely possible .
And despite what those leaders might say , conservation is well within the world ’ s budget .
The cost of executing the Safety Net is between $ 100 and $ 150 billion a year , which is a fraction of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relief .
And the financing is not going to be that expensive compared to fighting future pandemics or dealing with the worst of climate breakdown , like sea level rise or the kind of fires we ’ re seeing now , which will only become more commonplace .
If those points don ’ t convince our current leaders , then we will vote in new leaders — charismatic influencers who can help sway public opinion , who really understand the depth of the problem and are willing to take drastic measures .

This article was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of Canada's National Observer's collaboration with Climate Desk. In September, the United Nations released a report indicting world leaders for failing to halt biodiversity collapse. Despite setting ambitious targets in 2010 to protect endangered ecosystems, we’ve lost a gut-wrenching 68 per cent of species since 1970. This isn’t just bad news for wildlife — it’s bad for us humans. Without diverse species of birds, reptiles, mammals and the lands they inhabit, humanity stands to lose ecosystems that regulate our climate, give us a buffer to prevent pandemics, provide vital natural resources and keep our air and water clean. The solution is protecting habitat: specifically, 50.4 per cent of the earth’s land, according to the team of scientists led by Eric Dinerstein, wildlife scientist and director of the research organization RESOLVE. That’s a major increase from the 15.1 per cent of land area currently protected.
Formerly chief scientist for the World Wildlife Fund (yes, the one with the panda logo), Dinerstein helped create the conservation protocols that are protecting some of the world’s most beloved natural spaces, from the Galapagos to the Himalayas. His most recent call to action is a collaboration between RESOLVE, the University of Minnesota, Arizona State University and art and science nonprofit Globaïa. Called “Global Safety Net,” the report isn’t the first to call for the conservation and rewilding of half the world. But it does go a step further. Researchers identified the exact land areas that need to be protected to prevent climate collapse and estimated the potential carbon storage for each region. The Global Safety Net app features an interactive map of those areas, made in partnership with Google Earth Engine. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Here, Dinerstein talks about how the climate and conservation movements can join forces, and why saving half our land means saving the world. His remarks have been edited for length and clarity.
Q: Climate change and biodiversity loss are clearly huge problems. How do we better connect the solutions? The solution to biodiversity collapse is protecting habitat: specifically, 50.4% of the earth’s land, according to the team of scientists led by Eric Dinerstein, wildlife scientist and director of the research organization RESOLVE. A: By nature, humans compartmentalize. People who know the most about climate science are often atmospheric scientists who don’t study biodiversity science beyond grad school. Similarly, there aren’t many biodiversity scientists who have a really fundamental understanding of atmospheric science. And institutions keep them apart even further. The United Nations has one agency for climate change and one for biodiversity, and the two don’t interact. But these existential threats are interdependent. Let’s zoom in on the Amazon rainforest as an example. As temperatures rise and the atmosphere dries out, much of those incredibly rich areas for biodiversity revert to savannahs. The trees that are adapted to wet rainforest conditions get pushed past their physiological limits and croak, creating biomass fuel for wildfires, destroying habitats for wildlife. And instead of pulling carbon dioxide out of the air, burning trees are now pumping it back into the atmosphere, accelerating the climate crisis. Climate scientists and biodiversity scientists need to come together to form one field of “earth science” in the true sense of the word. It’s the only chance of saving life on Earth.
Global Safety Net calls for protecting half the world’s land. How do we get to that target? Fortunately, about 50 per cent of the Earth’s surface is still considered intact, semi-intact or slightly degraded — meaning that land has lost some but not all its health and productivity. So there’s enough land that doesn’t overlap with human populations available for preservation, and the Safety Net proposal deliberately chooses not to intersect with existing agriculture and the built environment. Fifteen per cent of the Earth’s land is already protected. An additional 12 per cent of land is inhabited by Indigenous people, who are experts in biodiversity. If we officially give them land tenure and honour their right to steward those ecosystems — and in their decision-making power they allow us to designate that land as part of the Global Safety Net — then the total protected regions would reach 27 per cent. All we need to do is set aside another 23 per cent — and we can get there. Just look at COVID-19, and how the behaviour of society can change on a dime if need be. We just need to recognize that we have to take certain measures to conserve our species and conserve our public health. What about agriculture? Will that leave enough land for growing?