From the Ground Up

Mark and Sherry talk through of some recent developments:a press release from the Saskatchewan Environmental Society outlining the threat of climate chaos to Saskatchewan and the irresponsibility of government policya recent report from IISD showing the major contribution of fossil fuel dependence to inflation and the cost of living crisisProgress in the city of Saskatoon towards rapid bus transit (now called Link) and in plans for the housing accelerator which we discussed in episode 320.Then part 2 of a repeat of episode 308 on dealing with ecostress.

A run-through of some recent reports:for each of the last 12 months the average global temperature has been more than 1.5degC higher than pre-industrial levelsthe recent heatwave in eastern Canada shown to be 2x to 10x more likely than it would have been before climate changegas with carbon capture and storage produces far more emissions than normally claimed; so does "blue" hydrogenSaskatchewan fails spectacularly in an assessment of its climate leadershipThen part 1 of a repeat of episode 308 on dealing with ecostress. More of that episode to be re-run next week...

This is a longer episode than usual because two programmes got together - first a recording of Don Kossick's CFCR programme, Making the Links, then further commentary from Mark for From the Ground Up.The federal government has just passed legislation which makes greenwashing illegal, and the greenwashing arm of the oil industry has in consequence taken all content off its websiteThe Saskatchewan provincial government is set to disregard (probably illegally) the federal Clean Electricity Regulations, and the tribunal they set up to resist federal legislation they don't like has produced a report based on biassed assumptions and dubious criteriaA new windfarm to be built near Weyburn will have significant involvement by an Indigenous consortium. But do media reports overstate its significance?

The housing crisis in Saskatoon has become acute. Meanwhile,the historic tendency towards sprawl has increased peoples' travel distances and their emissions, and reduced potential for building strong community. The federal government's Housing Accelerator Fund aims to address all of these issues. In this episode, Sherry Olson explains the fund, what it would mean in Saskatoon, its benefits and its limitations.

Mark explores three recent reports:The Canada Electricity Advisory Council produced detailed recommendations for how the electricity sector can lead the transition to "net zero" carbon. In line with an increasing consensus, they call for serious pursuit of energy efficiency, a rapid rollout of renewables, and a significant expansion of the capacity for interprovincial trading.Saskatchewan's provincial auditor has exposed serious weaknesses in the management and operation of the provincially-run output-based scheme for carbon pricing of heavy industry. She calls for genuine transparency, and questions why there had been no use of the technology fund which is supposed to enable corporations to reduce their emissions intensity.The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis has looked at the assertions made in support of small modular nuclear reactors and shown the weakness of those claims.

Mike Prebble is a high school teacher in Saskatoon: amongst other things he teaches climate awareness, starting from outdoor education principles. In this episode he tells us about a recent rally for high school students, about the initiatives pursued by the teenagers, and about his own experience and motivation in doing this work.

On 2024:May:25, a group of people from various backgrounds got together at Wanuskewin to talk about just transition and visions for a post-transition world in which all peoples' needs are met. For this episode we play a recording of the introduction to the theme given by Blue Green Canada's senior program manager, Jamie Kirkpatrick.

Regular FTGU host Dave Greenfield died last month after a long illness. Dave was deeply committed to peace, justice and ecological integrity, and brought his determination for positive change to the support of numerous campaigns and charities. In this episode friends and fellow activists remember him, and we replay some of the best of his poetry.There will be a memorial meeting for Dave on the afternoon of Sunday 12th May. Details (and zoom link for remote access) at https://prairieviewchapel.com/tribute/details/5925/David-Greenfield/obituary.html#content-start

Peter and Mark talk about the apparently different plans (both inadequate but one worse than the other) being put forward for Saskatchewan's electricity provision by the provincial government and by SaskPower. They then move on to the Saskatchewan Environmental Society's application to intervene in the legal action being taken against the provincial government, the Crown Investments Corporation and SaskPower, together with two highly knowledgeable expert witnesses - and from there to the successful case brought by senior Swiss women against their government to the European Court of Human Rights.