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SEPTEMBER 2024


The ClimateFast newsletter shares information about the Climate Crisis that may interest our readers, but does not necessarily reflect the views of ClimateFast as an organization, nor its members. If you have an event or resource you would like to share, please send it to newsletter@climatefast.ca.

 
CLIMATEFAST ACTIVITIES
 
Sharing Climate Action Info at Leslieville Farmers’ Market

.On Sunday, July 28 and August 11, members of ClimateFast (CF) joined TCAN (Toronto Climate Action Network) and others concerned about the Climate Crisis at Greenwood Park in Toronto. Dozens of folks stopped by the table to talk to (l-r) Anna (CF) and Corey (TERRE) about climate concerns and to sign a petition against the expansion of the Portlands Gas Plant. Look for ClimateFast and other groups at Taste of North York (Sept 7), Friday’s Farmers’ Market (Sept 20), and North York Public Library (Oct 5). To help with tabling at these and other events, please reach out to us at climatefast@gmail.com!

 
Building a Website to Track Climate-Related Voting 

A group of ClimateFast members is building an independent website that will serve as a reliable source for tracking the climate-related voting records of Toronto city councillors. The website will provide information to members of the public - now and at election time - enabling voters to gauge the climate and environmental stance of their mayor and councillors. It may also be a resource for climate groups looking to do related research.

Some focus groups were held in August and more are planned for September. Please contact us at climatefast@gmail.com if you’d like to provide feedback on our prototype. Look for details about the release of the website later this fall!

Toronto City Council in session

 
Training Climate Advocates Ward-by-Ward

ClimateFast and friends are gearing up to train advocates from each Toronto ward - the “Wards Project” - to meet with their city councillors and to advocate for climate action. Individuals are being recruited right now to learn about: how City Hall works; the city’s climate action strategy (TransformTO);  and how to talk to - and be heard by - their councillors. Contact CF if you’d like to be involved.

Fall of 2024 will also see City Hall starting to build the next iteration of TransformTO (2026-2030). City staff are planning to train facilitators who will then go out to all Torontonians and gather their contributions to this next set of strategies and goals for getting our city to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Watch for meetings and other activities in this regard - we’ll alert you when we hear more.

 
Monitoring The Globe and Mail's "The Climate Exchange”

On June 10, The Globe & Mail began advertising The Climate Exchange in a full page ad in its hardcopy newspaper. The G&M’s Climate Exchange is a portal that will accept climate-related questions submitted by the public. “People with the necessary knowledge” will provide answers to some of those questions on the G&M website starting September 9. If you intend to submit questions to The Climate Exchange portal, please copy us at climatefast@gmail.com with ‘Climate Exchange’ in the subject line. This will help us in calling out any bias or misinformation.

 
CALLS TO ACTION
 
Graphic from Cooperate for Canada


The next Ontario election cannot be ‘business as usual’ for the progressive parties.
The results of the June 2024 federal by-election for Toronto-St. Paul show why it is important and necessary for the NDP, Liberals and the Greens to work together – not compete – in order to stop the progressive vote from being split. We have seen in the recent elections in France and elsewhere that electoral cooperation is a successful strategy.

Cooperate for Canada is a diverse group of volunteers who are concerned about the rise in popularity of the Conservative Party of Canada and the weakening of public institutions. We are mostly Ontario based but keen to involve others across the country. This is an “all hands on deck” effort …please click here for more on the strategy and how you can get involved.

 

Graphic from 350.org

350.org has launched an initiative called “Heat Pumps for All.” They are calling on all of us to urge our MPs across the country to champion a Universal Heat Pump Program. It would be overseen by a new publicly-owned entity that produces, distributes, and installs heat pumps in homes. This program would save lives, cut costs, and protect the planet.

To learn more about heat pumps and to contact your MP, click here.

 

This month ClimateFast Co-Chair Lyn Adamson is participating in the Walking Together for Peace Initiative, a powerful movement dedicated to creating a more peaceful and just world. The peace walk from Pugwash to Halifax, Nova Scotia, is focused on three critical goals: urging Canada to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; advocating for a nonviolent economy; and fostering a culture of peace. This global initiative is part of a collective effort to end war and violence.

You are invited to a pre-launch event on September 3 which includes a hybrid option. [Register to receive the Zoom details]
 
After an event in Pugwash on September 8, the walk starts September 9 and ends on the International Day of Peace - September 21 - with an event in Halifax. To receive updates, send a note to walkingtogether@vowpeace.org - or check the website: www.walk4peace.ca.
 
Follow on social media
Instagram: https://instagram.com/walk4peace.ca
Facebook: https://facebook.com/walk4peace.ca
X (Twitter): https://x.com/walk4peace_ca
HASHTAG: #Walk4Peace
 
UPCOMING EVENTS
 

Image from FreeGrassy.net

Grassy Narrows and Whitedog First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario have been living with mercury contamination in the Wabigoon and English Rivers since the 1960s when a local mill dumped 20,000 pounds of mercury in the water. Fish in these rivers are a major source of food for the communities.

Widespread and chronic mercury poisoning continues to severely impact community members' health and well-being. A study published in May 2024 by Western University suggests mercury contamination in those rivers has been made worse by ongoing industrial pollution https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/grassy-narrows-first-nation-methylmercury-study-1.7211750.

Come out and walk with Grassy Narrows youth and community members to show solidarity with them on their path to achieve mercury justice and freedom. The Grassy Narrows people are powerful leaders in the movement for Indigenous sovereignty and environmental justice. Their demands include:

  1. Compensate everyone in Grassy Narrows fairly for the mercury crisis
  2. Respect the Grassy Narrows Indigenous Protected Area (end mining and logging plans in Grassy Narrows territory)
  3. Support Grassy Narrows in restoring their community and way of life from the damage that mercury has done. 

RSVP below to say that you will be there to walk with them in their fight for justice.

RSVP
 
RESOURCES
 
  • Climate policies that achieved major emission reductions: Global evidence from two decades. Reported by CBC News, as published in Science [magazine]. 2024.

Countries around the world have implemented carbon pricing, electric vehicle incentives and thousands of other policies in an effort to cut carbon emissions. But which ones actually work? A new global study has uncovered 63 of the most effective policies, and found some helpful patterns.

  • We Will Not Be Saved: A Memoir of Hope and Resistance in the Amazon Rainforest by: Nemonte Nenquimo. 2024

The author has emerged as one of the most forceful voices in climate-change activism. She has spearheaded the alliance of indigenous nations across the Upper Amazon and led her people to a landmark victory against Big Oil, protecting over a half million acres of primary rainforest. Her message is as sharp as the spears that her ancestors wielded - honed by her experiences battling loggers, miners, oil companies and missionaries.

  • Becoming Earth: How our Planet Came to Life by Ferris Jabr. 2024.

Humans are one of the most extreme examples of life changing Earth. Through fossil fuel consumption, agriculture, and pollution, humans have radically altered more aspects of the planet in less time than any other species, pushing Earth into a crisis. But we are also in a unique position to understand and protect the planet’s wondrous ecology and self-stabilizing processes. The author introduces us to a diverse cast of fascinating characters doing exactly that.

  • NASA Releases Updated Climate Change Adaptation, Resilience Plan. Release 24-087

NASA joined more than 20 US federal agencies recently in releasing its updated Climate Adaptation Plan. NASA serves as a global leader in earth science, providing researchers with crucial data from its satellites and other assets, as well as other observations and research on the climate system. The agency also works to apply that knowledge and inform the public about climate change. NASA will continue to prioritize these efforts and maintain an open information policy that makes its science data, software, and research freely available to all.

 
FINAL THOUGHTS
 

If you are worried about climate change and want to make a difference:*

  • Start a conversation about why it matters and what you can do
  • Join a climate action group to amplify your voice
  • Consider where you keep your money and what you do with it
  • Spark ideas for change at work and school
  • Hold all politicians accountable - local action matters!
  • Cut your carbon footprint and make it contagious by sharing

*from climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe’s Instagram post, April 22, 2024

 

ClimateFast is run solely by volunteers and is funded entirely by donations.

Your donation will be used for mailings, campaign materials,
room rentals, and transportation.

You may donate online or by cheque, made payable to:

ClimateFast

and mail c/o Lyn Adamson
Friends House
60 Lowther Ave.
Toronto, Ontario M5R 1C7

We are grateful for your support!

ClimateFast

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