FORTIS BC OWNS THE PLANT ON THE NORTH BANK, WHICH ALSO FEEDS NELSON’S GRID.
LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD THE NOVEMBER 21 ECOCENTRIC HERE:
Nelson Hydro is looking for a rate increase of over 5%. We pay some of the lowest power rates in the province because we own our own dam. The proposed increase is coming mostly from the higher cost of the extra power we have to buy on the market. To find out more about all this we spoke with Scott Spencer, manager of Nelson Hydro.
COP 28, the global climate summit starts November 30th in Dubai. To get an overview of what’s at issue and what we might expect we called up Alienor Rougeot the Climate and Energy Program manager at Environmental Defence based in Toronto.
Although resolutions came from members across BC on LNG and fracking none of them made it to the floor for debate at this past weekend’s BC NDP Convention. Outside Frack Free BC had a large rally protesting the huge climate emission increases caused by the fossil gas production. Ashley Zarbatney who used to Chair the BC NDP’s Climate and Economy.
LINKS MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:
Nelson Hydro’s guide to rate increases
http://www.nelsonhydro.ca/931/How-Rates-are-Set
VIDEO: Frack Free BC Rally outside NDP CONVENTION
Environmental Defence has a very good background briefing on COP 28
https://environmentaldefence.ca/report/backgrounder-canada-expectations-at-cop28/
EVENTS COMING UP
Tuesday, November 21, 7 pm.
Active transportation presentation at Nelson City Council
A local group the Nelson Community Transportation Committee is going to make a presentation on the importance of active transportation, alternatives to the private vehicle, bikes, walking, taking the bus in Nelson. Anyone who has tried to park downtown is aware that the city has an excess car problem. Show your support at Nelson City Hall tonight, Tuesday, November 21 at 7 pm.
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Thursday, Nov 23, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
TedX Countdown event aChampioning and Accelerating Solutions to the Climate Crisis
Selkirk College Castlegar.
In person this year! This 4th Annual Countdown event will be at Selkirk College’s Castlegar campus “pit” — near the main entrance.
Local speakers will share their passions about their work on climate solutions.
Transportation options available between Nelson, Castlegar and Trail. Snacks and beverages will be provided.
https://www.westkootenayclimatehub.ca/event-details/tedxselkirkcollege-countdown-2023
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Sunday, November 26 2024 Noon to 4 pm
Winter Cycling Expo
Prestige Lakeside in Nelson
Winter Cycling Expo…. A chance to learn about cycling through the winter with local experienced winter riders, learn about good gear and safety and enter to win studded tires, helmets or gloves.
Put on by Kootenay Boundary Doctors and Nurses for Planetary Health together with the City of Nelson.
Noon to 4 pm and it’s Free.
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ENVIRONMENT NEWS NOVEMBER 21 2023.
Concerns are growing in the Kootenays and Columbia Basin following the recent appearance of quagga mussels in the Snake River in Idaho in September
“Multiple samples of quagga mussel at larval life stages have been found in the Twin Falls area by ISDA’s early detection monitoring program,” reported the Idaho State Department of Agricultur.
The ISDA implemented a comprehensive and rapid response to the threat. They closed a 16 mile stretch of the Snake River between Twin Falls Dam and Niagara Falls Dam, and from Oct. 3 to Oct. 13, introduced a copper-based treatment called Natrix to eradicate quagga mussels in the mid-Snake River area.
BC runs a comprehensive watercraft inspection for invasisve species, likle quagga mussels.
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Last week the Federal Court ruled that the Government of Canada acted outside its authority when it designated plastic manufactured items as ‘toxic’ under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
On Monday, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and Justice Minister Arif Virani announced the government’s intention to appeal in a joint statement on Monday.
World leaders are currently in Kenya for negotiations of the United Nations Global Plastics Treaty.
Ecojustice intervened in the case on behalf of Oceana Canada and Environmental Defence as interveners in this case, which was brought by an industry coalition including Canada’s three biggest plastic producers: NOVA, Dow, and Imperial Oil. calling themselves the Responsible Plastic Use Coalition.
About 3.3 million tonnes of plastic are discarded in Canada each year, and only 9 per cent — about 305,000 tonnes — is recycled. The remainder ends up in landfills, incinerated, or finds its way into rivers, lakes and oceans.
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The world is on track for a “hellish” 3C of global heating, the UN has warned before the crucial Cop28 climate summit that begins next week in the United Arab Emirates.
The report found that today’s carbon-cutting policies are so inadequate that 3C of heating will be reached this century.
Temperature records have already been obliterated in 2023 and intensifying heatwaves, floods and droughts have taken lives and hit livelihoods across the globe, in response to a temperature rise of 1.4C to date. Scientists say far worse is to come if temperatures continue to rise. The secretary general of the UN, António Guterres, has said repeatedly the world is heading for a “hellish” future.
The UN Environment Programme (Unep) report said that implementing future policies already promised by countries would shave 0.1C off the 3C limit. Putting in place emissions cuts pledged by developing countries on condition of receiving financial and technical support would cut the temperature rise to 2.5C, still a catastrophic scenario.
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The National Observer’s data guru Barry Saxifrage takes a look at The brutal math of Canada’s foot-dragging on reducing greenhouse gas emissions that he says will fry our planet.
Because Canada has been so slow to cut fossil fuel production and use, Saxifrage says Unprecedented emission reductions needed to meet emission targets.
Saxifrage’s charts show that Canada has never reduced emissions by anything close to the needed amount in any normal economic year. Not even once.
Read the full report on NationalObserver.com
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/11/15/analysis/brutal-math-climate-foot-dragging
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Regina-based International CCS Knowledge Centre maintains that carbon capture is still key to greening Canada’s electricity grid. But it admits the federal government’s 2035 target date for grid decarbonization will be extremely difficult to meet based on the current state of the technology, The Canadian Press reports.
As far back as 2014, Canada’s first carbon capture project, the Boundary Dam carbon capture facility in Saskatchewan set out to achieve a 90% capture rate, In 2021, consistently poor performance forced it to downgrade its target to 65%. In 2015, the troubled project had to pay a $12-million penalty to Cenovus Energy after failing to deliver its quota of captured CO2 to the Alberta fossil’s Enhanced Oil Recovery operation.
In 2017, the Saskatchewan government admitted the province’s ratepayers were paying an “implicit” carbon tax of nearly $60 per tonne to support the plant.
The EU has agreed to curb methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry
The new rules require firms to report emissions, find and fix leaks, and limit wasteful venting and flaring.
coal, oil and gas companies will be required to report their methane emissions and take steps to avoid them. The measures include finding and fixing leaks, and limiting wasteful practices such as venting and flaring gas by 2027.
Because methane has more than 80 times the global heating power of carbon dioxide in the near term, Cutting methane emissions is seen as a cheap and easy way to stop extreme weather.
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