Friday Oct 18 why vote

On Monday, Canadians will be able to vote for what we want. Every single citizen even in our outdated and corrupted system, that counts for something; it is a right won by struggle.

So between now and then – please talk to everyone. Ask the server in the coffee shop, the barber – or hair dresser – the bus driver – the taxi driver – “Do you usually vote?

Talk to your best friend – the friend you have kept all these years because you never talk about politics. Now – talk about politics.

The only vote for meaningful climate action is a Green vote. IF you are looking for reasons, just consider these few news headlines of where we are going on Business As Usual basis.

Despite Their Promises, Giant Energy Companies Burn Away Vast Amounts of Natural Gas
SOURCE: New York Times
DATE: October 16, 2019

SNIP: When leaders from fossil-fuel executives met last week to declare they were serious about climate change, they cited progress in curbing an energy-wasting practice called flaring — the intentional burning of natural gas as companies drill faster than pipelines can move the energy away.
The practice has consequence for climate change because natural gas is a potent contributor to global warming. It also wastes vast amounts of energy: Last year in Texas, venting and flaring in the Permian Basin oil field alone consumed more natural gas than states like Arizona and South Carolina use in a year.

More stories and pictures like this at FasterThanExpected

Thousands of ships fitted with ‘cheat devices’ to divert poisonous pollution into sea
SOURCE: Independent DATE: September 29, 2019

SNIP: Global shipping companies have spent millions rigging vessels with “cheat devices” that circumvent new environmental legislation by dumping pollution into the sea instead of the air, devices, known as open-loop scrubbers, which extract sulphur from the exhaust fumes of ships that run on heavy fuel oil.

However, the sulphur emitted by the ships is simply re-routed from the exhaust and expelled into the water around the ships, which not only greatly increases the volume of pollutants being pumped into the sea, but also increases carbon dioxide emissions.

The change could have a devastating effect on wildlife in British waters and around the world, experts have warned.

The ICCT has estimated that just cruise ships with scrubbers will consume around 4 million tons of heavy fuel oil in 2020 and will discharge 180 million tons of contaminated scrubber washwater overboard.

Aviation climate targets may drive 3 million hectares of deforestation
SOURCE: Rainforest Foundation Norway
DATE: October 1, 2019
The report concludes that this increased demand for palm oil and soy could drive 3.2 million hectares of tropical forest loss (an area larger than the size of Belgium) and 5 gigatons of land use change CO2 emissions (close to the current annual greenhouse gas emissions of the USA) in 2030,

Using the cheapest and most readily available technology would lead to an additional demand in 2030 of 35 million tons of palm oil, 3.5 million tons of palm oil by-products (PFAD), and 35 million tons of soy oil. For comparison, the current global annual production of palm oil globally is around 70 million tons.

The report reviews the status of the targets the aviation industry has set for alternative fuels and shows how high the risk is that expanding biofuel use in aviation will cause the last thing the world wants or needs right now: increased deforestation.

The aviation industry has set an aspirational goal to reduce its CO2 emissions by 50 percent in 2050 (compared to 2005), without limiting growth. Central to this vision is a near complete shift from conventional jet fuel to alternative aviation fuels. Near total replacement of fossil fuel would be needed to meet this target.

River Flows All Across the Globe Are Dropping
SOURCE: Bloomberg
DATE: October 2, 2019

SNIP: Another slow-motion, man-made environmental disaster has been discovered, and it’s underneath your feet.

About 70% of the water pumped out of underground aquifers worldwide is used for agriculture while much of the remainder quenches the thirst of cities. As industrial development spreads at a speedy clip, the rate at which those critical reservoirs are emptied is far outpacing the rate at which they are naturally replenished.

The sea is running out of fish, despite nations’ pledges to stop it
SOURCE: National Geographic
DATE: October 8, 2019

SNIP: As global fish stocks that feed hundreds of millions of people dwindle, nations are scrambling to finalize by year’s end an international agreement to ban government subsidies that fuel overfishing.

Yet as negotiations at the World Trade Organization resume this week in Geneva, Switzerland, new research shows that governments have actually increased financial support for fishing practices that decimate marine life, despite public pledges to curtail such handouts.

Oil firms to pour extra 7m barrels per day into markets, data shows
SOURCE: The Guardian
DATE: October 10, 2019

SNIP: The world’s 50 biggest oil companies are poised to flood markets with an additional 7m barrels per day over the next decade, despite warnings from scientists that this will push global heating towards catastrophic levels. the Guardian forecasts Shell and ExxonMobil will be among the leaders with a projected production increase of more than 35% between 2018 and 2030 – a sharper rise than over the previous 12 years.

Billions face food, water shortages over next 30 years as nature fails
SOURCE: National Geographic
DATE: October 10, 2019

SNIP: As many as five billion people, particularly in Africa and South Asia, are likely to face shortages of food and clean water in the coming decades as nature declines. Hundreds of millions more could be vulnerable to increased risks of severe coastal storms, according to the first-ever model examining how nature and humans can survive together.

No choice but to invest in oil, Shell CEO says
SOURCE: Reuters
DATE: October 14, 2019

SNIP: Royal Dutch Shell still sees abundant opportunity to make money from oil and gas in coming decades even as investors and governments increase pressure on energy companies over climate change, its chief executive said.

Shell supplies around 3% of the world’s energy, “Despite what a lot of activists say, it is entirely legitimate to invest in oil and gas because the world demands it,” van Beurden said.

See you on market day next week, in a brand new world!
Healthy eating
Ian and Cami Graham