Sustainability News

Global climate news: October

1. COP 16 – Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Oct 21-Nov 1 in Cali, Colombia

The UN biodiversity summit known as COP16 officially opened in Cali, Colombia. Considered the world’s most important event to conserve biodiversity will host some 15,000 attendees, including a dozen heads of State, 103 ministers and over 1,000 international journalists.

Aiming to promote international cooperation, agree on investments to protect ecosystems and strengthen global environmental policies, COP16 takes as its roadmap the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework (GBF), a landmark plan to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity for 2030, adopted at COP15 in Canada.

Secretary-General António Guterres urged delegations from some 190 countries to “make peace with nature” and shore up a plan to stop habitat loss, save endangered species, and preserve our planet’s precious ecosystems

The event aims to continue the dialogue initiated at COP15 with the Montreal Call, a plea for transformative changes to our lifestyles, our economies and our values. Some inspiring and concrete initiatives being shared by Quebec Civil Society attendees are aimed at making transformative changes in our economic and value systems and include: the City of Montréal’s circular economy roadmap, the Government of Quebec’s law on planned obsolescence, the Government of Canada’s fight against single-use plastics.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cop16-montreal-call-2022-cali-204200125.html

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/10/1155931

2. COP 29, Nov 11–24 in Baku, Azerbaijan

This event will include the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 29), the 19th meeting of the COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 19), and the sixth meeting of the COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 6) that will convene to complete the first enhanced transparency framework and the new collective quantified goal on finance, among other matters.

Recommended Action: Letter to Prime Minister Trudeau (copy Stephen Guillebeault, Minister of the Environment and Lisa Marie Barron, MP Nanaimo Ladysmith) urging the Canadian government and representatives to the COP 29 Conferenece to support a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.

https://www.unep.org/events/conference/un-climate-change-conference-unfccc-cop-29


Global climate news: September

1. United Nations Summit ‘Pact for the Future’

Sept 22-23, 2024

World leaders on Sunday adopted the Pact for the Future, a landmark declaration pledging concrete actions towards a safer, more peaceful, sustainable and inclusive world for tomorrow’s generations.

The global pact included explicit calls to phase out fossil fuels. The pact called for reaffirmed commitment to the Paris climate agreement (2015), which laid out goals to move away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/09/1154581

Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty

Continue reading “Global climate news: September”

Global climate news: June

G7 summit, Borgo Egnazia, Apulia, Italy, 13–15 June 2024

Energy, climate, environment — The G7 reiterated its determination to address the triple global crises of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. They remain steadfast in their commitment to :

  • staying within the threshold of a 1.5°C increase in global temperature;
  • halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030;
  • holistically addressing energy security, the climate crisis and geopolitical risks.

The G7 Summit 2025 will be held in Kananaskis, Alberta!

Continue reading “Global climate news: June”

Cycling skills workshop from SG

Together with Gabriola Recreation, we are offering a cycling skills mini-series for building confidence and riding safely on Gabriola. This clinic starts with a quick mechanical check to make sure your bike is running smoothly. After some skill-building practice, participants will follow facilitator Scott Colbourne onto some easy trails and parts of the roads that people tend to find challenging.

Two sessions: Saturday: May 25th and Saturday June 1st from 2 – 4 pm.  ($40) At the Gabriola Recreation office

https://www.gabriolarecreation.org/events/cycling-skills-ages16-spring2024/


Spring into Food Security

Opportunities on Gabriola

As appeared in the Gabriola Sounder on 03 April, 2024

Spring, what a wonderful feeling it brings. As temperatures rise, nature comes alive with sounds, sights, and smells. This urge to grow and blossom is all part of the natural cycle. You can feel the changes in the air and watch as bulbs start blooming and trees in the forest regain their leafy canopy.

Continue reading “Spring into Food Security”

Global climate news: March

Select items as presented to Sustainable Gabriola at our March monthly meeting, by Deb Ferens.

Earth on brink of five catastrophic climate tipping points, report warns

  • Greenland & Antarctic ice sheet loss — melting ice
  • Boreal forest permafrost thaw — methane release
  • Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) — ocean currents
  • Amazon rainforest
  • Coral reef die-off
Continue reading “Global climate news: March”

Global climate news: January

Here are the month’s significant climate news items, as curated by Deb Ferens and presented to the Sustainable Gabriola meeting on Sunday, Jan. 28.

COP28 – Successes & Failures

Loss and Damage Funds operationalised on day one. Agreement on “global transition away” from fossil fuels (not stronger wording of “phase-out”).
Link: https://unfccc.int/cop28

Continue reading “Global climate news: January”

October: world climate news

Here are five significant developments in environmental news over the past month, as tracked by Sustainable Gabriolan Deb Ferens and presented at October’s SG meeting.

Inter-American Court of Human Rights

Avaaz has partnered with some of the best international lawyers to file a powerful submission on climate change with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Continue reading “October: world climate news”