Mitchell Beer from TheEnergyMix.com in Ottawa talks about the federal prospects for a Green New Deal in September’s economic reboot. Students are striking on climate again. Nelson’s Oscar Hunter tells us about plans for September 25th. Forestry activist Jennifer Houghton from Grand Forks tells us about the on-line Forestry Summit, starting Sept. 10 and the ForestMarchBC.com on Sept. 18.
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ENVIRONMENT NEWS for September 1, 2020
During the month of August, Extinction Rebellion Vancouver has been busy supporting the Protect the Planet Stop TMX event in the Brunette River Conservation area in Burnaby. The action has taken place with a coalition of other groups. The month started with an assembly in Hume Park, New Westminster on August 2. After Dr. Tim Takaro took to the trees on August 4, a coalition o marched in a peaceful rally the following day. To round off the first week of action, hundreds of people visited the area during educational tours organized by Dogwood BC, Wilderness Committee, Stand.Earth, and Protect the Inlet.
Since then, there has been an outpouring of support for Dr. Takaro and other climbers, including science YouTuber Kurtis Baute and BCIT instructor, Dr. Christine Thuring.
This area is on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish nations, including Tsleil-Waututh, Musqueam, Qayqayt and Kwikwetlem.
Logging blockades are holding the line in three locations near Port Renfrew, preventing loggers from entering one of Vancouver Island’s few untouched watersheds.
Driven by a loosely affiliated collection of volunteers, the first blockade was established Aug. 10 to stop roads from being built into the Fairy Creek valley, a remote tributary of the San Juan River system east of Port Renfrew. A week later a second blockade was set up to prevent access by Granite Main, another route that could lead into the Fairy Creek valley.
According to those at the site, there is very recent old-growth falling that was happening up this road. This initial falling included large old-growth yellow cedar trees, a species that holds important spiritual value to Nuu-chah-nulth-aht. The Fairy Creek valley is within the traditional territory of the Pacheedaht, but the First Nation has yet to speak in support or opposition to harvesting in the watershed.
However, Pacheedaht elder Bill Jones isn’t reluctant to share his opposition to the forestry activity. He recalls hunting in the Fairy Creek valley as a young man, and his uncles used the area for prayer and other spiritual practices.
https://hashilthsa.com/news/2020-08-25/blockades-halt-logging-road-construction-untouched-watershed
The United States Navy is in hot water with conservationists over its plans to begin a battery of weapons tests in the Pacific Northwest this fall.
Marine researchers in British Columbia and Washington state say the tests will cause significant harm to mammals on both sides of the border. Of particular concern is the testing program’s impact on the endangered southern resident killer whale population in the Salish Sea.
The tests involve launching torpedoes, detonating 450-kilogram bombs, piloting undersea drones and firing missiles and large-calibre projectiles into the ocean and straits off Vancouver Island and northwestern Washington.
The naval force has applied to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to begin the tests in November. The application, which is now under review, estimates that 51 orcas a year will be negatively affected over the course of the seven-year program.
As the Canadian government prepares its new action plan for dealing with the pandemic, hundreds of Canadian organizations have signed on to some simple goals for a JustRecoveryFor All.
The Climate Action Network – Réseau action climat Canada joined hundreds of organizations from coast to coast to coast in launching 6 principles that are essential to a #JustRecoveryForAll that will allow us to #BuildBackBetter. Here are the headlines:
1 Put people’s health and wellbeing first, no exceptions.
2 Strengthen the social safety net and provide relief directly to people.
3 Prioritize the needs of workers and communities.
4 Build resilience to prevent future crises.
5 Build solidarity and equity across communities, generations, and borders.
6 Uphold Indigenous rights and work in partnership with Indigenous peoples.
In August, Alberta and the federal government came to an agreement that made major cuts to environmental monitoring of the tar sands.
A copy of the deal, which was obtained by The Canadian Press, lays out plans for this year’s field season under a federal-provincial program that oversees all monitoring of the area outside of company leases.
Signed July 7 by top bureaucrats in Ottawa and Edmonton, it reduces funding by about 25 per cent from last year’s budget.
The program won’t fund monitoring downstream of the oil sands even as the province considers proposals to allow the water from oil sands tailings ponds to be released into the river.
The agreement also says there’ll be no field studies on wetlands, fish or insects.
A pilot project gauging the risks posed by tailings ponds has been dropped.
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