Emerging Contaminants: A Growing Concern

Emerging contaminants, such as medicines, personal care products, nanomaterials, and microplastics, are compounds that are not routinely monitored in the environment but have the potential to affect the environment and human health. The behavior and fate of these toxins are frequently unknown, making it difficult to forecast how they may interact with changing environmental circumstances caused by climate change.

Interactions between Climate Change and Emerging Contaminants

The relationship between climate change and the water cycle is critical, as it influences the mobility, distribution, and concentration of ECs across vast areas. When climate change causes more rain and floods, it leads to more runoff and leaking of pollutants from land to water. For example, heavy rains and flooding can overwhelm wastewater treatment systems, leading to the discharge of untreated or partially treated effluents containing ECs into water bodies. This spreads ECs further and increases their levels in rivers and underground water sources, which are used for drinking and can harm aquatic life, subsequently incorporating these contaminants into the human food chain [1].

Climate change-induced temperature changes can affect the behavior of ECs, altering their persistence, bioavailability, and toxicity. Elevated temperatures can both accelerate the degradation of some contaminants and increase the stability of others, as well as cause the volatilization of certain compounds. This shifts their distribution across air, water, and soil, creating new exposure pathways. Additionally, the melting of polar ice due to higher temperatures releases ECs long trapped in ice, reintroducing them into the environment and posing new risks to both wildlife and human health [2]. Moreover, variations in temperature, moisture, and other climatic factors can boost or hinder microbial activities, directly affecting the biodegradation and toxicity of ECs. For example, increased temperatures and UV exposure may expedite the breakdown of some chemicals, reducing their environmental persistence, or create new toxic by-products [3].

The agricultural sector is particularly vulnerable, as climate change can affect the prevalence and distribution of contaminants in soil and water, impacting crop quality and food safety. This not only poses health risks but also economic challenges for farmers and communities dependent on agriculture It's important to note that the impact of climate change and emerging contaminants is not uniformly distributed. Urban areas, with their higher industrial and vehicular emissions, might face different challenges compared to rural areas, where agricultural runoff plays a significant role.

In conclusion, the complex relationship between climate change and ECs not only worsens environmental threats but also has significant implications for human health, affecting exposure pathways and risks. Changes in water quality and availability, as well as changes in agricultural practices due to climate variability, can directly impact human exposure to waterborne and foodborne contaminants [4]. Addressing these challenges requires a multidisciplinary approach, emphasizing the importance of enhancing monitoring and research to understand the behavior, fate, and impacts of ECs under changing climatic conditions. Developing effective mitigation strategies that consider the challenges of climate change is crucial for protecting environmental and public health. There are costs associated with mitigating the effects of ECs, such as upgrading wastewater treatment plants, implementing new water quality standards, waste management practices, and emissions controls. Moreover, the implementation of adaptive and forward-looking policies and regulations is essential to manage the evolving threats posed by both climate change and contaminants efficiently.

References

[1]         S. Bolan et al., 鈥淚mpacts of climate change on the fate of contaminants through extreme weather events,鈥� Science of The Total Environment, vol. 909, p. 168388, Jan. 2024, doi: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2023.168388.

[2]         S. A. Snyder et al., 鈥淐limate Change Impacts on Emerging Contaminants,鈥� pp. 311鈥�329, 2012, doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2466-1_261.

[3]         K. Mukherjee, 鈥淐limate change as a driving factor for emerging contaminants,鈥� Present Knowledge in Food Safety: A Risk-Based Approach through the Food Chain, pp. 303鈥�308, Jan. 2023, doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-819470-6.00048-2.

[4]         K. E. Jones et al., 鈥淕lobal trends in emerging infectious diseases,鈥� Nature 2008 451:7181, vol. 451, no. 7181, pp. 990鈥�993, Feb. 2008, doi: 10.1038/nature06536.

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In a world of increasing 鈥渨ants鈥�, lies a parallel increase in 鈥渨astes鈥�. We are observing a record surge in the production of goods for human consumption, and likewise, its wasteful consequences. From wasted agricultural produce, post-consumption or unused food waste, municipal and industrial wastewater, forestry and textile waste, there is a lot that can be recovered or redirected for further use. Historically, this practice of circular economy has been intrinsically bound to our civilizations, cultures and way of life. However, somewhere along the way with industrialization, rapid technology advancements, the hygienist movement etc., we focused on the linear economy a little too much. While ending the circularity of certain goods from the public health perspective was a giant leap towards eradicating some preventable diseases, it also paved the path towards consumerism and the global issue of waste management [1].

Let us look at some interesting numbers. According to the World Food Programme, 鈥極ne-third of food produced globally for human consumption is wasted or lost鈥�. This is about 1.3 billion tonnes per year [2]! One-third of the forest cover has been wiped off the earth to fulfil human needs including expansion of agricultural land [3]. This consequently has increased agricultural waste when production surpasses the needs or rather the disproportionate division of the produce leading to unnecessary spoilage or wastage. Furthermore, the use of wood in a range of other applications, for instance, the pulp and paper industry. On the other hand, municipal waste alone accounts for 2 billion tonnes of it getting diverted to landfills [4].

So much potential 鈥榳asted鈥� indeed. What do we do, moving forward? We go back to our roots of course, with a wealth of knowledge acquired over the years to generate the 鈥榳ealth from waste鈥�. Not just using the resources to expand the technological advancements, but rather using the technologies as well to expand the end-of-life path of those resources.

If we look at the organics, also called as biomass, consisting of food, crops, forestry products, wastewater etc., their complex chemical makeup offers a wide range of possibilities for value-addition. Wastewater and sludge from treatment plants have been widely studied and used for the production of methane and hydrogen gas which are valuable biofuels. The technology used for this conversion is known as anaerobic digestion where the complexity of wastewater or sludge is reduced to a simpler state by harnessing the power of microorganisms. Not just biofuels, a multitude of by-products like fatty acids are also generated in this process which again have a broad range of applications like creating bioplastics, animal feed, fertilizers, flavouring agents, perfumes, and other industrially-relevant chemicals. This bioprocessing is also applicable to other organic matrices from waste streams. Since they all differ in terms of their basic composition, there are different alterations required for the overall process or a shift observed in the final product.

Sludge generated in the wastewater treatment is highly rich in organic matter, especially carbon, which in the absence of oxygen is ideal for reduction to methane gas. If we look at food waste, it has a different chemical makeup with carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Thus, requiring different conditions than sludge can favour the production of other by-products like volatile fatty acids than biogas. Another commonly practised process of composting results in a nutrient-rich humus-like product suitable for enhancing soil fertility. Moving further to agricultural and forestry waste, they comprise even more complex sugars or carbon sources, that can shift the process towards a specific product and require different conditions for full utilization. As they are rich in cellulose and lignin, these can also be used to generate biochar which is a stable form of carbon useful in improving soil quality. Livestock waste is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, which when digested or converted to manure is highly useful for soil fertility. Therefore, the suitability of these various waste streams for specific biological processes is dependent on their physical characteristics, chemical composition, nutrient and moisture content etc. A deeper understanding of the intricacies behind these properties and the activity of microorganisms opens more opportunities for designing waste management strategies for their value addition in the economy.

Thus, there is an art behind mindful resourcefulness in our everyday lives, and science supports resourceful recycling for a better future.

References:

[1]         Aggeri and Franck, 鈥淔rom waste to urban mines: a historical perspective on the circular economy,鈥� http://journals.openedition.org/factsreports, no. Special Issue 23, pp. 10鈥�13, Nov. 2021, Accessed: Mar. 14, 2024. [Online]. Available: http://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/6530

[2]         鈥�5 facts about food waste and hunger | World Food Programme.鈥� Accessed: Mar. 14, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.wfp.org/stories/5-facts-about-food-waste-and-hunger

[3]         鈥淒eforestation and Forest Loss - Our World in Data.鈥� Accessed: Mar. 14, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://ourworldindata.org/deforestation#article-citation

[4]         鈥淭rends in Solid Waste Management.鈥� Accessed: Mar. 14, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://datatopics.worldbank.org/what-a-waste/trends_in_solid_waste_management.html

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The climate change crisis we face is global. It is a 鈥渨icked鈥� problem (Underdal, 2017) that requires a global response.

As an actor in this world, I want to believe that there are solutions. I want to believe in the possibility of a world outside a consumerist view that only values profit and growth. I want to commit myself to challenging climate change, since the outcome of today鈥檚 struggles will determine the future for generations to come, starting with mine. I want to be able to believe in an environmentally friendly system and economy, returning to the economy of nature. I want to bring back the values of ecology, humanity and respect at the heart of our political priorities.

But what can I do to confront the climate change, as an individual?

Individual Solutions are Not Enough, But Global Solutions are Not Working

Mitigating climate change demands a reduction in greenhouse gases, but individual actions can only reduce the carbon footprint by 25-30% (Dugast, 2019). Neither my vegetarianism nor my second-hand shopping habits will make a difference. As a 20-year-old eco-anxious citizen I cannot change the fate of the planet.

The international system is not able to resolve the current climate crisis either. The effectiveness of the United Nations鈥� sustainable development goals (SDGs) are widely disputed. The numerous Conference of the Parties (COPs) meetings on climate challenge follow one another, year after year, without bringing about the transformative change we need.

We will not get there by being timid, but by being demanding and radical in our expectations.

Our Responsibilities are Not Equal

We must begin with a recognition that while climate change is human in origin, our responsibility is not universal and equal. There are enormous differences in power between human beings and this means that a solution to the climate crisis demands a world that is more inclusive and respectful of all, a just transition.

For-profit companies are driven by the imperatives of short-term profits and the quest for growth (Nyberg and Wright, 2017). Shareholders prefer to focus on profitable 鈥渃ore business鈥� concerns rather than longer term sustainability. Fossil fuel corporations are also major players in climate change, and their hegemony over our societies prevents any move away from a regime of 鈥渇ossil capitalism鈥�, where profits are the sole objective of the economy, even at the cost of a planetary climate crisis (Carroll, 2020).

Laws are not impartial or neutral but reflect the interests of the old colonial powers. International law favors the financial and trade regimes of the Global North, which are rooted in unsustainable economic growth models. This imperialist vision of international law must be reformed. The decolonization of international law, written by and in the interests of the then-colonial powers, is necessary (Mason-Case, Dehm, 2020).

Solutions Demand New Relationships

If the current system participates in the failure to act in the face of climate change, the crisis affects certain populations more than others, starting with Indigenous peoples and racialized peoples from the Global South.

Indigenous peoples play an important role in sustainable resource management, as 快播视频 professor Angele Alook (Alook, 2023) reminds us, acting as guardians of the environment: they keep 80 percent of the Earth's biodiversity alive. Tackling the climate crisis means respecting Indigenous land rights and involving communities in land management, since many First Nations around the world have unique relationships with their environment, rooted in traditional knowledge.

We need to turn away from economic models that are predicated on the unsustainable idea of economic growth. Gross Domestic Product may decline but quality of life can still improve (Mastini, et al., 2020). In short, challenging climate change demands a radical break with capitalist market-based economic relationships. 

Taking climate stabilization seriously means transformative change.

Artists help us too in grappling with the unprecedented threat that climate change represents. They help us imagine solutions, rooted in a world that is not just greener, but more just for all of us.

The Individual and the Global

Where does that leave me, as an individual and actor in the fight against climate change?

I can fight, but not alone. I need to work with and stand with all those 鈥� Indigenous peoples, climate change activists, degrowth scholars and artists imagining new worlds 鈥� who are committed to new relationships. A just transition will depend on all of us, working together, in this world that we share and that is now threatened by climate change.

Violette Dagorne is a third-year exchange student from Lille, France, specializing in political science. Her main areas of interest are climate migration, international climate negotiations and East Asian studies. She would like to continue her studies with a master's degree in environmental policy or in humanitarian and development aid.

Bibliography:

Alook, Angele. 鈥淣o More Broken Promises.鈥� Pp. 15-35 in Alook, Angele et al., (2023). The End of this World: Climate Justice in So-called Canada. Between the Lines.

Carroll, William K. 鈥淔ossil capitalism, climate capitalism, energy democracy: The struggle

for hegemony in an era of climate crisis.鈥� Socialist Studies/脡tudes Socialistes 14.1 (2020).

Dugast, C茅sar, and Soyeux Alexia. 芦 Faire sa part ? Pouvoir et responsabilit茅 des individus, des entreprises et de l鈥櫭塼at face 脿 l鈥檜rgence climatique 禄, Carbone 4 (2019).

Mason-Case, Sarah and Julia Dehm. (2020). Redressing Historical Responsibility for the

Unjust Precarities of Climate Change in the Present. [S.l.]: SSRN. .

Mastini, Riccardo, Giorgos Kallis, and Jason Hickel. 鈥淎 green new deal without growth?.鈥�

Ecological Economics 179 (2021): 106832.

Underdal, Arild. 鈥淐limate change and international relations (after Kyoto).鈥� Annual Review of Political Science 20 (2017): 169-188.

Wright, Christopher, and Daniel Nyberg. 鈥淎n inconvenient truth: How organizations translate climate change into business as usual.鈥� Academy of management journal 60.5 (2017): 1633-1661.

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Prior to joining York, Irwin worked for the Government of Canada, both in Ottawa and Toronto, on national security priorities. In her 16 years with the federal government, she managed teams and projects in the national security space and has experience on issues impacting research security.

鈥淢s. Irwin has the vital skills and experience to safeguard 快播视频鈥檚 growing research and innovation enterprise and serve as its key liaison to government and agency officials on risk management and compliance,鈥� said Jennifer MacLean, assistant vice-president innovation and research partnerships. 鈥淗er direction on security issues will ensure York researchers are well-protected in their international collaborations and are well-equipped to fulfill all government funding requirements.鈥�

In her new role in the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation (VPRI), Irwin will lead the development and implementation of the University鈥檚 research security strategy related to funding, partnerships, commercialization, data governance, cybersecurity and associated policies, procedures and programs.

She will advise York faculty on security best practices, oversee the review of select research agreements and support the research community with adherence to rules and regulations related to the legal protection of intellectual property and export control.

鈥淚 am delighted to join 快播视频 and support its community of changemakers navigate the evolving landscape of research security protocols,鈥� said Irwin, who holds a master鈥檚 degree in international relations from the University of Warwick and a bachelor鈥檚 degree in history from Western University. 鈥淚 welcome the opportunity to champion the University鈥檚 interests in global research partnerships, strengthen institutional safety and security, and empower York鈥檚 innovative researchers to excel in their work.鈥�

Recently, in the face of new geopolitical realities, safeguarding the international research activities of Canadian universities has become more and more of a government priority, at both the federal and provincial level. Research-intensive universities across the country are in consultation with government funding agencies, Public Safety Canada, and groups like the Ontario Council of Ontario Research (OCUR) to establish greater alignment and coordination on new and emerging security guidelines.

鈥溈觳ナ悠� is dedicated to ensuring the safety and security of its researchers and their research partnerships. As an institution, we are known for our global engagement and our collaborative approach, which makes safeguarding research even more of a top priority for York,鈥� said Amir Asif, vice-president research & innovation. 鈥淚 am pleased to welcome Ms. Irwin to her new role as VPRI is committed to streamlining the funding process for our researchers and facilitating the ease of collaborations as much as possible. Our support enables our researchers to focus on what they do best: conduct purposeful research that advances knowledge and creates positive change.鈥�  

The appointment of an associate director research security is part of the University鈥檚 ongoing efforts to meet new government funding requirements and enhance the security of York research.

Researchers with a security question or concern can contact Rebecca Irwin at researchsecurity@yorku.ca

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How did you end up in this field, studying bees and their relationship to the environment and climate change? 

During my undergraduate degree, the University of Toronto had the option to get course credit by volunteering in a lab. I was placed in a lab that studied evolutionary ecology of bees and plants, where I overcame my fear of them. Through working in that lab, I realized that no one was studying the decline of native bumblebees in Ontario despite evidence that some had declined rapidly so I decided to work on that for my PhD at 快播视频.

Most of us understand the idea of greenwashing, when corporations spend money on campaigns to "look green" while carrying out unsustainable practices. But the idea of "beewashing" is new to me. Can you explain what this means? 

Beewashing refers to branding of actions as sustainable and/or helpful for declining bees when in fact they are not. The biggest example is the promotion of honeybees outside of their native areas as somehow good for the environment or bee populations.  In North America, we have about 2000 native bee species, none of which are the European Honeybee.  Our native bees overwinter by sleeping and thus do not collect honey (aside from species in Mexico) and they are mostly solitary (not living in hives). Most of our native bee species have not been assessed in terms of conservation status but for those that have been, diseases introduced from managed bees seem to be a key threat. There is also growing evidence that honeybees can disrupt pollination of native plants and can outcompete native bees for pollen and nectar. The European Honeybee is not at risk of extinction and is in fact one of the most common livestock animals and invasive bees around the world. The fact that many businesses are adding honeybee hives and calling it a sustainability initiative, while actually increasing pressures to wild bees is the epitome of beewashing.  We would never through a million Asian Carp into the great lakes and say we are saving declining fishes, so why do we accept it with bees? 

What is the relationship between bees and climate change? How does your work championing wild bees compared to "managed bees" -- managed by humans, for instance, for honey production -- relate to climate change?

Honeybees are livestock. They produce honey, which is a food item that we use. But it's not related to climate change. In order to address climate change we need to conserve a diverse and abundant wild bee community. When we have a lot of species doing pollination services, our food systems and natural ecosystems will be more resilient to climate change. If we reduce diversity and put all our eggs in one basket, all it takes is one disease or weather event to come through to knock out that species and we are in big trouble.  We saw how risky this is with how quickly Varroa mites and colony collapse disorder swept through honeybee colonies. It's also important to note that climate change is a threat to wild bees, native plants and other wildlife species, so prioritizing mitigating climate change is critical in order to conserve native pollinators and more.

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On March 29th, the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research held a collective discussion, led by Carol Devine and Yasmin Al-Sahili. Devine is a Community Scholar at the Dahdaleh Institute working on a framework for Planetary Health Advocacy. Al-Sahili worked on the Planetary Health Advocacy Framework, as a research assistant, with Devine.

The question that animated the group is: how do we build strategies to frame and communicate knowledge about planetary health? The aim is to develop principles that further advocacy in the areas of humanitarianism, global health, planetary health, and climate change.

What began as a framework has evolved, Devine and Al-Sahili emphasize, more into a "tool for advocacy" that explores the impacts of climate change on health. The tool is meant to inform operational programs to mitigate climate change and advocacy for new ways of living that are sustainable for humans and for other life on earth.

As a living tool, it is constantly and sometimes rapidly changing in response to dialogue from a wide range of actors. This dialogue is vital. As Devine paraphrases Indigenous Planetary Health leader Dr. Nicole Redvers, climate change will not be resolved by technical fixes. Instead, 鈥渨hat will solve the climate crisis is language and dialogue鈥�.

While developing the tool, a major question is figuring out how to effectively communicate knowledge to diverse audiences. A circular design with multiple rings, for instance, seeks to show the interconnectivity of different elements. This recalls the relationships between human health and the wellbeing of the natural world, as well as known solutions among and across different actors.

Indigenous peoples and local communities are especially important, Devine emphasized, to biodiversity stewardship and knowing climate change solutions.

Al-Sahili echoes this view. She emphasizes the importance of understanding colonialism and colonial practices in exacerbating climate change-associated health consequences. Those who have been subject to colonialism suffer the most immediate effects of climate change," Al-Sahili observes," but they have contributed the least to global warming. The voices of those with non-western worldviews, and specifically Indigenous knowledges, perspectives, and ways of doing, are critical to decolonizing planetary health tools."

This means recognizing that we live in a pluralistic world, where many different ways of knowing co-exist.

Many Western-trained scientists understand the world in terms of systems and variables. This may be very different from how other communities and cultures make sense of themselves and their environments. Despite the diversity across and within their communities, many Indigenous peoples, for instance, understand the world as embedded in strong, even sacred responsibilities to the lands that have been theirs from time immemorial. Indigenous scientists may bring their Indigenous knowledges to problem-solving as they seek to understand and mitigate climate change.[1]

The framework must respond to competing paradigms. As a living tool, it always has room for change, updates and improvements.

Participants at the seminar had many ideas they contributed to the conversation.

Some suggested that it would be useful to add stories to the tool to illustrate and communicate knowledge to broad audiences. Stories represent us and are central to who we are as human beings. As Professor Orbinski observed, 鈥淲hile we have a lot of science about climate change, we don't have many stories鈥�.

Compelling narratives, as much as or in combination with science, are necessary to help us to understand the challenges that climate change represents.

Others proposed developing a certificate program within the Institute for Global Health Research to share knowledge within academia about the critical importance of planetary health.

In addition, the tool for planetary health needs to be relevant beyond academia. To be meaningful, participants emphasized, the tool has to be understandable for many people. Some participants suggested building a website to make the tool interactive, dynamic and accessible to a wide range of users.

Out of the lively discussion, the relationship between global health and well-being and planetary health was emphasized again and again. We will only become healthy, as communities, when we live in healthy ecologies. That demands that we do what we can to mitigate climate change and prevent more negative impacts, suffering and loss, while simultaneously advocating to secure more ecologically sustainable and equitable futures.

[1] See, for instance, Anishinaabe scientist Dr. Myrle Ballard:

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"Widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere have occurred. Human-caused climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe. This has led to widespread adverse impacts and related losses and damages to nature and people. Vulnerable communities who have historically contributed the least to current climate change are disproportionately affected.鈥�

This is one of the sober assessments in the 2023 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change synthesis report. How can we grapple with these changes in climate, and the consequences for nature and for people, especially the most vulnerable among us?

As an ecologist who is interested in the effects of climate change on migratory birds, Dr. 鈥檚 research aims to document how the warming of the Arctic and sub-Artic regions are affecting arctic birds. Effects of climate change are not always easy to detect. Though global warming may result in changes in availability of food sources for birds, Dr. McKinnon explained, the warmer weather could also reduce energy requirements. Not only are birds facing potential changes in resources, they are also facing potential changes in predation pressure as some predators, such as the red fox, expand their range further north. Researchers can collect data to provide insight into how bird species may cope with these changes, but 鈥淚f we want to challenge climate change and protect migrant bird populations,鈥� Dr. McKinnon emphasized, 鈥渋t will take more than scientists studying what is happening to them. We need collective conservation efforts that tackle the social, political and environmental aspects of climate change.鈥� 

For Dr. Byomkesh Talukder, climate change has effects that can be measured in changes to nature and to human communities, where his own research in Bangladesh, shows the wide-ranging consequences of rising oceans and the salination of fresh water rivers. Fresh water fish, once important to local diets, do not survive in the salinated water. High blood pressure in adult men and women, as well as miscarriages in women, are some of the more immediate health consequences. But communities are affected in other ways. 鈥淚n particular, women are suffering from miscarriages鈥� Dr. Talukder notes, 鈥渁nd their mental health is also suffering, since they now must travel and wait long hours for access to fresh water, which we all need to survive.鈥� Grappling with climate change means taking up these complexities, which affect both local ecological systems and the human communities that depend on them for survival.

In her work on the , sociologist Dr. emphasizes that taking up the challenges of climate change is necessary for life to continue: the stakes cannot be overstated for human beings and for many other forms of life. There are solutions, however, especially as the consensus shifts to recognize the urgency of climate change. 鈥淲e can support a shift to a greener economy, not just through new technologies鈥� Dr. Robinson argues, 鈥渂ut by expanding those parts of the economy that have always been green, like the caring and service professions.鈥� Best practices from around the world can be taken up anywhere, for instance, through policies that centre measures of well-being as central to political decision-making, as in Aotearoa/New Zealand, rather than a narrow focus on economic growth. At its best, climate change movements can bring about transformations that will enable a livable planet, but also a more equitable one. 鈥淚n places like Canada, Indigenous knowledges are a critical to challenging climate change鈥� Dr. Robinson emphasized, 鈥渁nd to creating more just relationships.鈥�

Filmmaker Shabnam Sukhdev presented a short clip from her film, , which invites us to listen to the late Didi Contractor. A German American urban designer who lived most of her life in India, Contractor lived her ecological commitments in the buildings that she created and in her own home. Contractor is blunt in her assessment of the challenges of living ecologically, 鈥淚t鈥檚 very difficult to walk your talk, because it鈥檚 set up against you.鈥� Nonetheless, sustainable ways of living are worth striving for, she emphasized, in work and in life. Contractor created beautiful, functional and ecological buildings and lived her own life without waste, to be respectful to the planet and to future generations. 鈥淎 place in heaven, for me, is the here and now鈥� Contractor added, 鈥淎nd it is in doing small things carefully that we learn to do large things鈥�. For Sukhdev, Contractor is a vital reminder that we have choices and that we can choose to live, not just for immediate needs and wants, but in ways that are responsible to life now and in the years to come. As Contractor observed about Mahatma Gandhi: 鈥淗e made his decision keeping in mind the weakest members of society, and to me, the weakest members are those who are yet unborn.鈥�

As the latest IPCC report reminds us, climate change is already with us and creating serious harms to nature and to people. Given the crisis we face, all four of the speakers emphasized the importance of acting where you are and with what you know. We can do this through the sciences, the social sciences and the arts, and by listening to and working across disciplines and knowledge traditions. Given the complexities of climate change, all the different ways we understand the world must be mobilized, not for knowledges sake but to galvanize meaningful action now.

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During Climate Change Research Month, at the March 16 lecture hosted by the 快播视频鈥檚 Emergency Mitigation, Engagement, Response and Governance Institute (Y-EMERGE), listeners were invited to draw our attention inwards to proactively consider the 鈥渇ire and floods鈥� in our own backyard.

Dr. began her talk by sharing a selection of photographs of devastating wildfires, from Australia to Greece to California to Lytton, British Columbia. With their vivid oranges and reds and their smoke-filled skylines, the scorching images reminded us, in Dr. Su鈥檚 words, that 鈥渃limate change fuels the fires, and the fires fuel climate change.鈥�

Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency and intensity of natural disasters worldwide, Dr. Su explained. Several threats to Canada were recently outlined in a climate change report by the to Canadians, including water and food security, Arctic sovereignty, and coastal security.

A proactive turn inwards, Dr. Su observed, is essential for generating community-based plans and solutions, in the face of climate disaster locally as well as globally.

But this requires us to challenge common myths, Dr. Su underlined, especially the alarmist narrative dominating news today 鈥� the idea that the Global North needs to prepare for mass numbers of climate refugees and migrants coming from the Global South. Informed by a colonial mindset, such fear-mongering feeds into unfounded ideas that displaced peoples will move across continents as they flee climate change.

The research tells a different story, Dr. Su explained, one that is closer to home. Most displaced peoples seek to return to their homes and rebuild, so migration due to climate change is local and regional, not international. Further, we can learn from community-based solutions enacted worldwide when developing our own preparedness plans.

In a context where climate change is happening in our own country, Dr. Su observed, we must focus on proactive, practical solutions. These solutions will centre:

路        community-based, planned relocation;

路        multi-year and multi-hazard prevention plans;

路        cooperative, multi-level governance and resources;

路        and preparation and support for host communities.

We need to ask ourselves hard questions, Dr. Su suggests, and consider internal migration 鈥渟o we can be sensitive to the tensions that might rise up, and be proactive for what may come, so we can be prepared.鈥� Questions like, 鈥淚f a disaster was to strike Toronto, for instance, where would we go?鈥�

鈥淗ow many of us are having these conversations?鈥� Dr. Su urged. We need to 鈥渟tart with ourselves and then expand beyond our own household with empathy towards those who may be displaced now or in the future.鈥�

All of this demands a politics of preparedness, engagement, and listening to communities. It means, too, that we must take politics seriously. Dr. Su explains:

鈥淭here is a need for us to push our politicians to think proactively, to show them that we care and that climate change is a priority for us. We need to make it clear that Canadians care about living in a good environment and that we care about living in a nation that is free of significant natural hazards due to climate change.鈥�

When election time comes around, we must advocate for policies that address the serious challenge climate change represents, for all who live in Canada and beyond, beginning in our own backyards.

The post Fire and Floods in Our Own Backyard: Examining Climate Change Displacement and Internal Migration in Canada appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Organized by the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies on March 7, 2023.

Is caring about climate change enough to make political change?

My research takes up this question by looking at Guelph, Ontario where, in 2018, the riding elected Green Party candidate Mike Schreiner. The Green Party鈥檚 success was significant, since this election marked the first time a Green Party candidate was ever elected in Ontario.

Was this a turning point for Canada?

Thinking back to 2018, it felt like a watershed moment for the environment. There were Climate marches worldwide. Fridays for Future saw students walking out of classrooms on a weekly basis to protect inaction about climate change. Trudeau banned plastic straws, as a small step to curbing plastics pollution.

Was the election of Ontario first-ever Green Party MPP in Guelph the beginning of a political movement that was going to spread across the country? And if so, why there, and why then?

To answer this question, I traced the history of Green parties in parliamentary systems, in Europe and Australasia, that are similar to Canada. Since Green parties have existed and been successful since the early 1970s, there was much to be learned from experiences elsewhere.  

I found a range of factors mattered for Green parties鈥� election success, including a strong economy, guaranteed government funding for registered political parties, and competition among political parties for Green Party votes.

But what about the Green Party in Ontario?

Ontario has a unique history, rooted in an economy built on extraction and manufacturing but now more dependent on finance and services. It is a very wealthy province, and a politically powerful one.  Ontario has high levels of education, compared to other provinces. From 1985 to today, Ontario has had a  competitive three-party system, where the Conservative, Liberal, and New Democratic parties have each formed majority governments.

Together, these factors are hopeful for those who support Green parties, since the province does not depend on the fossil fuel industry, it has a strong economy, a highly educated population and a competitive party system.

Gains are possible, especially in cities like Guelph, which boasts a relatively wealthy, highly educated citizenry, motivated to address climate change. Since Ontario is a powerful province, the election of a Green official in Ontario could signal a shift in broader political norms across the country.

But many questions remain.

How do Green parties strategize in Ontario鈥檚 first part the post voting system? What happens if current economic uncertainties worsen and deepen? How do voting districts that favour the suburban and rural vote play into Green party success across Ontario?

One thing is certain.

Caring about climate change and Green politics is not enough to ensure a Green Party win. But making climate change a major electoral issue is necessary, if there is to be any chance at all.

The post Caring about Climate: The Catalyst to Political Change? appeared first on Research & Innovation.

For the last decade, the Executive Director of the Cornell Industrial and Labour Relations School鈥檚 Climate Jobs Institute, Dr. Lara Skinner, has been working to launch union-led climate jobs coalitions. Together with labour unions, elected leaders, environmental groups, and industry experts, she has worked in states like Texas, Illinois, New York, and Rhode Island to transform the way labour engages with equity and climate justice.

Her presentation at the Global Labour Research Centre鈥檚 2023 John Eleen Annual Lecture in Global Labour, 鈥淟abour and the Climate Crisis: Developing a Worker- and Equity-Centred Clean Energy Economy,鈥� taught us how union-led coalitions contribute to climate justice.

The United States鈥� (U.S.) calls for an injection of $370 billion to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calls this the 鈥渕ost significant climate legislation in U.S. history.鈥� This is an opportunity to create scalable projects that create well-paying and unionized climate jobs,  for racialized and frontline communities impacted by climate change and historical inequities. But the move from policy to practice, or in Dr. Skinner's words, the move 鈥渇rom ambition to action,鈥� requires a massive update of American infrastructure and of the US economy.

鈥淟et鈥檚 talk about why this is a challenge,鈥� proposes Dr. Skinner. First, unionization rates in fossil fuels industries are twice as high as those in renewables energies. Second, green energy jobs are not paying well when compared to similar jobs in fossil fuels industries. Third, frontline communities hit hard by climate change and historically marginalized communities face significant barriers to accessing clean energy jobs.

In meeting the challenge, Dr. Skinner鈥檚 New York Climate Jobs Program developed climate, energy, and labour market analyses for cities and states. The aim was to identify challenges and opportunities for a green energy jobs transition. Quickly, the Program moved from research to policy advocacy and to training, and education on how to maximize emissions reductions and create new union jobs. The program鈥檚 鈥榣abour-only鈥� grounded approach relied on 鈥渂uilding trades and energy unions working in these coalitions.鈥� This is because, Dr. Skinner explains, 鈥渦nions already have tremendous experience and expertise in making this transition鈥�.

The result? Think equity-based, well-paying green jobs led by unions, Dr. Skinner suggests, working to develop science-based solutions to climate change and designed to help labour and climate movements navigate the transition to a clean energy economy.

The Program鈥檚 success laid a foundation for the Climate Jobs National Research Centre. The Centre focusses on forward-looking proposals to identify what needs to be built to realize a green energy transition, all while working to ensure the active participation of unions, equity-deserving groups, and frontline community members in developing a plan. From there, Dr. Skinner says that 鈥渦nions formed their own coalition, Climate Jobs New York, and they ran a campaign promoting offshore wind鈥� using the Climate Jobs Institute鈥檚 proposal. In response, New York committed to securing 50% of its power from offshore wind, and to setting wage requirements for wind and solar projects above one megawatt.

Today, the lessons learned in New York have spread to eight other U.S. states that are now homes of union-led climate jobs coalitions. Dr. Skinner plans to 鈥渆xpand the initial solar study to an annual study of the U.S. clean energy workforce, looking at all parts of the clean energy economy, and then conducting similar studies in other states and at the national level.鈥�

For those of us in Canada, the question remains: why don鈥檛 we see this move 鈥渇rom ambition to action鈥� in our country?

According to feminist economist Dr. Marjorie Griffin Cohen, the respondent for the event, it is a matter of economic priorities and political perspective. Despite the push amongst trade unions for clean energy jobs and a 鈥榡ust transition鈥� through groups like Blue-Green Canada, Canada鈥檚 transition 鈥渋s not happening that way: we鈥檙e increasing our oil exports, and we鈥檙e increasing our oil production.鈥� While unions and workers advocate to change our understanding of the economy, growth, and productivity, governments are stuck greening a small proportion of jobs to make them 鈥渃ompatible with Canada鈥檚 path to net zero emissions鈥�, while increasing fossil fuels production.

Like Dr. Cohen, we are left to ask 鈥淗ow can we expand the areas of the economy that are already relatively low contributors to climate change problems, but also shift the focus to meet people鈥檚 real care needs?鈥�  The answer is to shift employment away from carbon-intensive jobs to employment in care-giving, Dr. Cohen suggests, contributing to the economy, improving human well-being and protecting nature.

From an organizing perspective, Dr. Skinner had her own answers.

For Skinner, greening the economy in a labour friendly, equitable way starts with expanding union-based training infrastructure and establishing mandated targets for diversifying employment cohorts. And by connecting labour to clean energy by way of project labour agreements, Climate Jobs Coalitions can set up direct-entry, pre-apprenticeship programs. These can help to redirect money from low-quality piecework projects to high quality and high impact union-led clean energy projects.

But this kind of work needs a clear definition of the value and importance of union climate jobs, and these projects need to help frontline and historically marginalized communities achieve a higher quality of life to maximize their impact.

Dr. Skinner鈥檚 climate jobs coalition success story is compelling.

Start with unions. Learn from workers.  Help them to propose, organize, and develop clean energy projects in cities and regions to create high quality, unionized jobs for those most in need. That is how how we collectively move 鈥渇rom ambition to action.鈥�

To learn more on union-led climate jobs coalitions, .

Nathi Zamisa is completing an M.A. in Black Studies: Theories of Race and Racism in the Department of Social and Political Thought at 快播视频. Nathi is currently the President of the 快播视频 Graduate Students Association, the Chair of the York Community Housing Association, a Board Member of the Global Labour Research Centre, and a Member of the York Senate's Academic Planning, Policy, and Research Committee.

The post From Ambition to Action: Labour, Equity, and Climate Justice appeared first on Research & Innovation.