8 Reasons why I love the rain

So this post might come a day too late, as its an absolutely gorgeous day in Toronto, but I came up with a list of all the reasons why I love the rain, in the midst of the grumbling and lamenting following several weeks of damp and wet weather here in the GTA:

1. Cleaner air - Have you noticed how few smog days we're getting this year? A godsend for those with asthma and respiratory problems.

2. Cooler weather - I'm not a big fan of the hot, sticky, melting kind of weather - and lucky for most people, we're also free of stories this summer of the usual heat strokes, dehydration, and babies and pets left in dangerously heated cars.

3. No sunburns - Though I've never been one to be prone to sunburns, many of my friends with lighter complexions can enjoy their days without slabbering themselves with oily products in fear of blotchy, peeling, sensitive skin later.

4. Energy savings - You can almost hear the powergrids going into overtime and potential blackouts when people blast their air conditioning on 30+ degree weather...

5. No need to water the garden - Mother nature has taken care of it! And the roadways are cleared of the usual municipal signs warning us to stay away from watering our lawns.

6. No line-ups at Wonderland - Yesterday I spent a glorious day at Canada's Wonderland free of lines, and was able to ride several roller coasters multiple times, all because the forecast called for thunderstorms. But lucky us, we were spared of the thunderstorms and much rain, and ended up having a great time in an empty park.

7. Reconnecting with nature - Instead of the smell of hot pavement and exhaust fumes, the rain brings out the best in nature: rainbows after the storm, snails, worms and slugs out and about, and the smell of fresh earth, grass and plants.

8. Comforting nights-in - Rainy days are always the best for warm teas, a good book, baking cookies or watching a rented DVD with friends

So rain really isn't that bad, maybe the weather forecasters can mention this everytime they apologize to viewers for predicting rain?

Cool summer = climate change not happening?

Every so often I feel the need to remind people, especially those grumbling in the comments on the Star website under weather stories, that having an especially cool and rainy summer is NOT an indication that climate change is not happening.

Every time I hear a comment such as "where is climate change now" in response to cooler temperatures during the summer, I cringe a little, as it becomes abundantly clear that there is still a gap on public understanding of what climate change really is.

It is in fact erroneous to link real time weather patterns of colder days in the summer, or longer winters as evidence against climate change. This is precisely why I refrain from using the term "global warming" and opt for climate change, because people mis-interpret the term to mean that they will be enjoying excruciatingly hot summers in the future.

I posted something earlier in the year addressing this point:

The reality is of course, that yes, although climate change involves the overall warming of the planet through the greenhouse gas effect and most particularly will (is) melting the arctic ice caps, our day to day experience with climate change will not necessarily be  the disappearance of snow (though its never discounted)

Due to rising sea levels and the warming of surface sea temperatures, climate change is expected to dramatically alter global weather patterns that could lead to increased droughts in Europe, heavier rainfalls during the monsoon season leading to devastating floods to name a few examples. It will lead to an overall global shift in weather patterns that may not affect Torontonians at least, in the most obvious ways, but in other ways such as rising rates of zoogenic viruses, forest fires, floodings etc.

Every so often I feel the need to remind people, especially those grumbling in the comments on the Star website under weather stories, that having an especially cool and rainy summer is NOT an indication that climate change is not happening.

Every time I hear a comment such as "where is climate change now" in response to cooler temperatures during the summer, I cringe a little, as it becomes abundantly clear that there is still a gap on public understanding of what climate change really is.

It is in fact erroneous to link real time weather patterns of colder days in the summer, or longer winters as evidence against climate change. This is precisely why I refrain from using the term "global warming" and opt for climate change, because people mis-interpret the term to mean that they will be enjoying excruciatingly hot summers in the future.

I posted something earlier in the year addressing this point:

The reality is of course, that yes, although climate change involves the overall warming of the planet through the greenhouse gas effect and most particularly will (is) melting the arctic ice caps, our day to day experience with climate change will not necessarily be  the disappearance of snow (though its never discounted)

Due to rising sea levels and the warming of surface sea temperatures, climate change is expected to dramatically alter global weather patterns that could lead to increased droughts in Europe, heavier rainfalls during the monsoon season leading to devastating floods to name a few examples. It will lead to an overall global shift in weather patterns that may not affect Torontonians at least, in the most obvious ways, but in other ways such as rising rates of zoogenic viruses, forest fires, floodings etc.

Climate change could create 75 million refugees, says report

Oxfam Australia along with think-thank Australia Institute is warning that 75 million people living on Pacific islands will have to relocate by 2050 because of the effects of climate change.

The report predicted that many Pacific Islanders would not be able to relocate within their own countries, and would hence become international refugees.

Pacific Islanders have long said that they are already feeling the effects of climate change, including environmentally-induced food and water shortages, rising cases of malaria, and more frequent flooding and storms.

Half of the population of the Pacific lives less than 1.5 km from the coast, and are incredibly vulnerable to sea-level rise and extreme weather.

Fiji is already attempting to "climate-proof" its villages by testing salt-resistant varieties of staple foods, planting mangroves and native grasses to halt coastal erosion, and moving homes away from vulnerable coastlines.

Sikhism, the Environment, and Climate Politics

I had a great conversation the other day with a friend who now works at Climate Action Network (CAN) about their new strategy in preparation for Copenhagen and beyond, and one aspect of the strategy particularly intrigued me: their planned focus on Sikh and Punjabi communities in south-central Ontario and the greater Vancouver area.

I immediately thought this was a brilliant idea, as CAN quickly discerned that:

a) Immigrants are the future, and the new face of Canada. Sooner or later (if we have not already), greater than 50% of the population in these areas will be of a visible minority, many coming from immigrant families or are immigrants.
b) The climate movement is weak in the suburbs, and is critical to engage for a long-term climate action strategy
c) The Conservatives and the Liberals know that both these areas are crucial to winning a majority government, hence they place a lot of importance on what people think in these ridings

As a Sikh with Punjabi heritage, I loved the idea of engaging members of my faith into the climate change discussion, especially since Sikhs have acted as a politically powerful group in those particular ridings in Ontario and Vancouver.

However, digging a bit deeper than politics and demographics, I especially love how the impending climate crisis has sparked fresh discussion on Sikhism's particular connection to the environment and its understanding as a "green religion".

Websites have popped up recently to discuss environmental issues within the cultural and historical context of the religion, including Ecosikh.org that just launched in June. Some advocates have focused on the practical duties of being a Sikh how they fit very much in line the practices of environmentalists. Others (including in this article by a peer of mine at UofT Jagtaran Singh) have focused intently on the scripture in the Guru Granth Sahib on how the very foundations of the religion were built on a deep understanding of our relationship to the environment and the sacredness of it. This quote from the Guru Granth Sahib is just one of many emphasizing this message:

"Air is the Guru, Water is the Father, and Earth is the Great Mother of all."

This article by the BBC does much more a service to the issue of Sikhism and the environment than I am able to here in this blog, but its a topic that I'm certainly hoping to become more knowledgeable about, and am excited to see where the interconnections of religion, the environment, and politics can lead us in the future.

How 10 years can change the world

2019

I came across a great article today from the Miramichi Leader discussing how 10 years can indeed change the world.

Though world leaders have been lamenting about the amount of time, energy and money solving the climate crisis is going to entail, the reality is that we don't need to look too far back in history to realize that tremendous feats of the world can be achieved if those in power have enough conviction to see them through.

One example is when JFK in 1961 challenged the United States to send a man to the moon within 10 years. Another would be the effort in halting the threat in WWII, with countries refocusing their entire industries and workforce for the immense war, which was won in a few short years.

Now, the large threat of climate change, which I still think some people have not been able to grasp the possible calamity of it, looms large at the end of this decade. The talks at the G8 were very, very promising, yet they were tampered by our very own Canada, with Environment Minister Jim Prentice referring to the target as an "aspirational goal".

The author of the article challenges us to think where we can be in 2019, where all the nations understand that taking care of the planet must be a global priority. Surely there is no shortage of technological ingenuity - what we are missing is political ingenuity, or in simpler terms, just political will.

Applications open for Youth Summit on Northern Climate Change

The 2009 Young Leaders' Summit on Northern Climate Change will take place in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, August 17 to 20, 2009, and are taking applications from youth age 18-30 to participate!

Selected delegates will be able to attend the conference at no cost - this is a great opportunity for those within the age range to experience and meet with other like-minded people to talk about one of the most serious issues in Canada - northern climate change.

According to their website: Many Northern and Indigenous organizations are observers at the UNFCCC. However, for the most part Canadian Northern Indigenous peoples have been underrepresented at international climate change negotiations, and their voices have not been clearly reflected in Canada's positions at the international negotiations. There is a need to cultivate a new generation of young northern leaders who can speak on climate change in the North.

For more information about the summit, visit www.climateleaders.ca

Tick tick tick...

DeSmogBlog has a great article analyzing possible climate change outcomes in the next 40 years...

Let’s assume that the Obama administration and Congress get their act together this year and make good on their pledge of enacting meaningful climate legislation by establishing the nation’s first cap-and-trade system.

View the full article here

What the G8 means for climate change

This wonderful summary of what actually came out of the G8 talks last week comes courtesy of my United Nations youth delegate colleague Thomas Spencer.

In short:

From the G8 (Italy, Japan, USA, UK, France, Germany, Russia, Canada)

1. Agreement for the first time from all G8 countries that warming should be kept below 2 degrees.
2. Agreement for the first time from all G8 countries that developed country emissions should be reduced by 80% by 2050, "compared to 1990 or more recent years". Straight after this, Canada and Russia began denying the legitimacy of this agreement.
3. Reiteration of their goal of reducing global emissions by 50% by 2050, with the base year unspecified.
4. Agreement that emissions need to peak as soon as possible and decline thereafter.
5. Agreement to undertake robust aggregate and individual mid-term targets, constant with this objective.

From the G5 (Brazil, India, China, South Africa, Mexico)

1. An agreement between countries that adaptation to climate change is of crucial importance and should be given equal emphasis as mitigation of greenhouse gases
2. The urging of developing countries to commit themselves to ambitious and comparable quantified emission reduction targets by reducing their emissions by at least 40% below their 1990 levels by 2020
3. Calling for the establishment of an international mechanism for the development, deployment and transfer of climate-friendly technologies

In short, it seems that the G8 results signals the negotiations are heading in the right direction, with the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate meeting monthly in the lead up towards Copenhagen. Countries are relatively close to the agreement on a peeking date for greenhouse gas emissions,

Most importantly, heads of government have explicitly tasked finance ministers with bringing climate financial proposals to the G20 in September - Flaherty, I hope you're working hard...

Climate change progress at the G8?

I just arrived back from holiday, and come home to all this seemingly positive news about climate change negotiations - Toronto Star's head line today reads "Rich nations to pay green tab". Instead of rejoicing I'm going to reserve judgment until I can read through the details to see whether indeed rich countries are taking the actions needed to curb climate change. Often times than not, what's communicated to the public are feel-good promises that have many serious loopholes... In the mean time, here's the Toronto Star article here