Some good news has emerged out of the UN Climate Change Conference in Doha.[1] Ministers from 25 countries have agreed to cooperate to decrease the quantity of short-lived climate pollutants such as “black carbon”, methane and ozone in the atmosphere. Short-lived climate pollutants: Are, after CO2, the most important human contributions to climate change Include black carbon (a key component ... Read More »

On December 4, 2012 the Environment Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) released his annual review of the government’s Climate Change Action Plan with a strong statement that the provincial government is scaling back on its agenda to reduce greenhouse gasses (GHGs). The ECO’s review is broad and recognizes that climate change action can (and should) be realized through a range of ... Read More »

The Ontario government released its Climate Change Progress Report, Climate Vision on November 13, 2012. The report gives an account of the Governnment’s past, current and future planned climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. It features some great success stories and signs of leadership from non-governmental bodies, including Project Neutral (Travis sits on the Board!). Some highlights we’ve teased out thus ... Read More »

The Ontario Energy Board just released Ontario’s 2011 electricity supply mix data Water Power 22.2% Alternative Power Sources 3.4% Nuclear Energy 56.9% Natural Gas 14.7% Coal or Oil 2.7% *Note the total calculation is off by 0.1% due to the rounding process. We’ve added a simple diagram to show how they compare visually. Read More »

The global market for low carbon goods and services (LCGS) could grow from $339 billion (2010) to between $3.9 and $8.3 trillion per year by 2050, according to a new report released by the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRT).  Framing the Future: Embracing the Low-Carbon Economy – considers how Canada needs to position itself with ... Read More »

The Western Climate Initiative, Inc. has announced a new release of its Compliance Instrument Tracking System Service (CITSS). The new release of CITSS adds features and functionality to manage compliance instruments. The CITSS is currently used in Quebec and California as they embark on their linked cap-and-trade systems.  Further details of the announcement and WCI, Inc. can be found here. ... Read More »

Munich Re, the world’s largest reinsurance company, released a report yesterday finding that North America is experiencing the fastest increase in natural disasters in the world. The report, entitled Severe Weather in North America: Perils, Risks, and Insurance, is not yet publicly available, but in a USA Today article its author – Professor Peter Hoppe – explains that the number ... Read More »

Community leaders from Newtok, Alaska, and the Cartaret Islands, Papua New Guinea, met over the week of September 27th, 2012, to discuss the solution they have both chosen in the face of rising sea levels and harsher, more frequent storms: relocation. These communities are among the first in the world to choose relocation as a way to adapt to climate ... Read More »

ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability) is hosting its annual Liveable Cities Forum 2012 in Hamilton, Ontario from November 29-30th. Travis will be discussing the business case for climate adaptation with a focus on municipalities. You can register on the ICLEI website here. Panel Summary: A4 – Making the Municipal Business Case  Introduction to Business 101 teaches us of the importance ... Read More »

A memo and powerpoint presentation sent to Canadian environment minister Peter Kent from Environment Canada dated March 5, 2012 contain a very interesting summary of climate change impacts in Canada. The memo states “In external discussions and speeches regarding the government of Canada’s action on climate change, it may be useful to present concrete examples of climate-change impacts occurring in ... Read More »