[All] Building Bridges & Good news for environment in 2019.

[Lanteigne]

Hi folks
Two topics to cover today. First here is Buidling Bridges. 
Reuters published this news story on Dec. 22/2018  titled Political stumbles, savvy activists knock Canada's oil sector to its knees. In the article it stated the following: 
"Full credit to climate-change advocates, they kicked the snot out of Corporate Canada," said Tim Powers, a Conservative political strategist. He said Canadian resource companies have been too focused on the regulatory process, while climate-change advocates "laid out a better, more compelling narrative" to win public opinion.
Well I must admit that advocating for the survival of humanity does make a compelling narrative but the fact they perceive us as physically violent or aggressive gives an interesting insight as to how they view us as environmentalists.  It also makes me think of an article I saw recently in Scientific America titled Why are White Men Stockpiling Guns. 
It notes only 3% of the population owns half the US firearms. Most are white men with this particular characteristic: 
These are men who are anxious about their ability to protect their families, insecure about their place in the job market, and beset by racial fears. They tend to be less educated. For the most part, they don’t appear to be religious—and, suggests one study, faith seems to reduce their attachment to guns. In fact, stockpiling guns seems to be a symptom of a much deeper crisis in meaning and purpose in their lives. Taken together, these studies describe a population that is struggling to find a new story—one in which they are once again the heroes.
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/why-are-white-men-stockpiling-guns/
Perhaps it's time for our group to think how can we engage gun clubs and hunters and fishermen into the dialogue of climate risks and how it impacts their interests locally. How can we build bridges to reach out to them in dialogue on issues like the Cormorant hunting proposals etc. Do they even know how to give comment on such issues?  We're all connected by the natural world. They see the land and it's animals when they hunt. What have they noticed of climate change in our area and how can we foster greater communications with them to build upon shared sustainability goals and engage them more in the public process? I'd like to see greater outreach in these areas. 

And now....Good news for Environment in 2019! 

1. OPG and Six Nations turn coal plant to solar power in Nanticoke. Comes online in 2019.  https://ianmartin.com/in-the-house-of-the-rising-sun-opg-trades-coal-for-solar/
2. The World bank “will no longer finance upstream oil and gas” after 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/dec/12/uk-banks-join-multinationals-pledge-come-clean-climate-change-risks-mark-carney


3.From 2019, major manufacturers in China will be punished unless they meet quotas for zero- and low-emission cars or they buy credits from other companies that exceed the quotas.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-14/china-is-about-to-shake-up-the-world-of-electric-cars-quicktake





4. Most toiletries with microbeads no longer for sale in Canada it excludes microbeads in "natural health products" and non-prescription drugs, which will be banned on July 1, 2019

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/most-toiletries-with-microbeads-no-longer-for-sale-in-canada-1.3997003#_gus&_gucid=&_gup=twitter&_gsc=Sz9pHsf\




5. International Energy Agency (IEA) says oil supply excess expected in 2019. Peak Oil and it's downhill from here folks! https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/IEA-Soaring-Supply-Points-To-Oil-Surplus-In-2019.html





6. Will Enbridge Line 9 oil pipeline even flow? Valero's Jean-Gaulin refinery planning shutdowns for upgrades in 2019. https://www.journaldequebec.com/2017/04/06/valero-veut-investir-500m-a-levis



7. All Volvo cars going electric in 2019 https://www.kelownanow.com/watercooler/tech/news/Technology/Volvo_will_phase_out_fossil_fuel_engines_by_2019/




8. Back in 2016 Enbridge's CEO Al Monaco announced that they want to move away from oil projects by 2019.Let's see if they'll be on schedule.  https://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/02/19/news/enbridge-wants-break-its-oilsands-addiction

Happy New Years everybody! 
Lulu :0) 




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