Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

Natural Resources Canada

This grad’s economics degree will add up to better environmental policies in Canada and beyond

This grad’s economics degree will add up to better environmental policies in Canada and beyond

Meghan Lim loves both nature and numbers, and hopes that by combining those passions, she can help protect the planet. With an eye to using her skills to support climate action, the newly minted economist graduates June 13 with a master of science in agricultural and resource economics — a degree she considers a perfect fit for her desire to make a difference through conservation and sustainable development. “I found my niche in the interface of conservation and policy and dealing with numbers and statistics,” Lim says about the program, offered through the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences (ALES). 

Canadian climate tech built with Western expertise to be part of joint mission with NASA

Canadian climate tech built with Western expertise to be part of joint mission with NASA

Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity and the dynamics of Earth’s atmosphere is ever-changing. A new pan-Canadian collaboration will measure aerosols, water vapour and clouds and how they interact to impact Earth’s weather and climate as part of NASA’s Atmosphere Observing System (AOS) mission. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will collaborate with NASA on AOS with its High-altitude Aerosols, Water vapour and Clouds (HAWC) mission. The mission consists of two Canadian instruments on a Canadian satellite and a third instrument on a NASA satellite, all planned for launch in 2031. These innovative instruments will provide critical measurements, enabling Canadian climate scientists and weather forecasters to better understand and predict extreme events like severe storms, floods, droughts and poor air quality conditions.

Canada is an energy superpower – and that doesn’t just mean oil

Canada is an energy superpower – and that doesn’t just mean oil

But the future is going to require all kinds of energy – solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, bioenergy (and yes, fossil fuels too). Even the formerly oil-centric IEA has shifted; last May, it issued a landmark road map to net zero by 2050. Canada has long been wealthy in energy, and will continue to be. Fossil fuels were the cornerstone, which is why they became synonymous with “energy.” But it’s time to redefine the term. Canada has vast resources beyond oil and gas. When we say energy, we need to also see solar, water, wind and, yes, uranium. They’re right there. We just have to tap them.

The Water Security Agency Offering Free Workshops, Helping Farmers Plan Agricultural Drainage Projects in a Changing Climate

The Water Security Agency Offering Free Workshops, Helping Farmers Plan Agricultural Drainage Projects in a Changing Climate

The Water Security Agency (WSA), with the support of Natural Resources Canada, is offering free online workshops called AgH2Onward to introduce farmers and ranchers to the Agricultural Water Management program in Saskatchewan, the process and benefits of drainage approvals, and innovative techniques to best manage water on their land. The free workshops are being offered until April 2022 and include two half-day sessions.

Mining Association of B.C. offers cash prize for water innovation

Mining Association of B.C. offers cash prize for water innovation

Companies that come up with new ways to conserve and treat water in B.C. mining operations have a chance to win $150,000, in a contest organized by the Mining Association of B.C. MABC president Michael Goehring announced the industry’s first-ever Mining Innovation Challenge on Thursday. Co-sponsored by the B.C. government, Natural Resources Canada and industry players Teck Resources and Newcrest Mining, the competition for entrepreneurs is open until Feb. 18 for expressions of interest, with a winner to be announced at the end of June.

Erosion and high lake levels: Windsor-Essex already seeing effects of climate change, expert says

Erosion and high lake levels: Windsor-Essex already seeing effects of climate change, expert says

Following the release of a federal report assessing the impact of climate change on Canadian communities, a local climate change specialist says the effects have been felt across Windsor-Essex. "We know that climate change is threatening some of the vital ecosystem services we have here and negatively impacting our Great Lakes and water resources as well," said Claire Sanders, a climate change specialist with Essex Region Conservation Authority.

‘Incredibly destructive’: Canada’s Prairies to see devastating impact of climate change

‘Incredibly destructive’: Canada’s Prairies to see devastating impact of climate change

As the climate continues to warm at an alarming rate, experts warn if dramatic steps to mitigate global warming are not taken, the effects in Canada’s Prairie region will be devastating to the country’s agriculture sector. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, the country is warming, on average, about double the global rate. Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the U.S. recently found 2020 was earth’s second-hottest year on record, with the average land and ocean surface temperature across the globe at 0.98 of a degree C above the 20th-century average. However, the agency found the northern hemisphere saw its hottest year on record, at 1.28 degrees C above the average.

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