My response to 'The World Hit Record Temps in 2023..' in The Tyee

Here's my reaction --orig. meant as a Comment-- to this piece by Gordon McLean of The Conversation:  https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2024/01/16/World-Hit-Record-Temps-2023/

Another ill-timed waste of an oppor'ty to inform/update us on the biggest issue worrying 80%+ of Cdns (& growing) -- bereft of real-life specifics to help us "proactively advance climate resilience" -- whatever that means..

& that's half the problem: Science's refusal to DEFINE Cause/ Effect & Problem/ Solution has left this crisis open to interpretation -- by the very industries most responsible & with the heaviest footprints (whose lobbyists ensure THEIR profiteering 'needs' are met -- in regular mtgs with our spineless govt reps!) 

I.E. That atmospheric levels of C02 & methane "have continued to increase & hit record levels in 2023" means ZIP to most people without specifying exactly HOW they've increased & WHO/WHAT is responsible!!?

Eg. Logging old-growth forests releases all their stored carbon, adding to cumulative emissions (yet is exempt from req'd official GHG reports!?); LNG emits methane gas @ every stage, all up & down production -- yet BC's govt calls this fracked-gas fossil fuel "sustainable" & keeps approving new LNG builds here!!?

(Though this past month alone I've had to tell 2 peops -- 1 a regular MSM consumer -- WHAT 'LNG' EVEN iS!)

It's quite obvious govts & MSM COUNT ON -- if not further -- such widespread public ignorance.  That's just corrupt.. & DISHONEST!

Here's proof:  our govts are spending more $$ to convince Cdns they're tackling these issues -- via pricey TV ads -- than on actually tackling them, thereby making a mockery of indiv'l efforts while guaranteeing more fires, floods & other human-wrought ('Climate') disasters.

Worse, in defiance of urgent IPCC warnings to reduce GHGs & wean off fossil fuels, AB's govt alone has BANNED RENEWABLES -- & the feds persist in flogging (non-existent) 'Carbon Capture' tech as Canada's (non-)solution!!?

HOW can we be motivated to protect our --& our kids' -- thriving future hanging on a thin thread of carbon-sinking ecosystems exploited to extinction by irresponsible corps that refuse to change (along with their corrupted govt. 'secret supporters')? 

And do those of us who ARE still motivated (the numbers of which are growing daily) -- not by flimsy articles like yours but because we can't undo what we've seen 1sthand -- even stand a chance in the face of so much corruption??

NB. It must be noted:  the SOLE Cdn. political entity that refuses to be bought out wholesale by ecocidal Big-Industry corps, the ONLY honest ones who stay true to their clean mission, are the GREENS -- federal AND provincial.

Please:  let that sink in.

FOREST BIOMASS: Letter to Govt.

Stand.earth has numerous opportunities to TAKE ACTION on Climate change, which I urge everyone to do now - including their key campaign against the unsustainable destruction of our primary forests for export as pellets that are burned as fuel, called FOREST BIOMASS..

Forest Biomass is an ecocidal & polluting cycle that Trudeau's Liberal Govt. claims is a "Carbon-neutral climate solution" -- another blatant LIE that perpetuates rising emissions & the catastrophic loss of our non-renewable Old-growth forests by irresponsible corps like UK's DRAX INC.

I've written the following letter via this Stand.earth link:

FOREST BIOMASS IS A FALSE CLIMATE SOLUTION - click to add your own letter!  All letters written on this Stand.earth page are sent to:

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson (Liberal Party of Canada) & The Honourable Steven Guilbeault (Liberal Party of Canada)

Subject:  FOREST BIOMASS is noT sustainable! 

Dear Ministers,

The evidence exposed by Stand.earth is shockingly clear:  our primary forests are being logged to produce wood pellets for global export, to burn for fuel.

Burning forests for fuel is FAR from a "climate-friendly solution" to the fossil fuel economy, & its claims of carbon neutrality have been SCIENTIFICALLY DISPROVEN AROUND THE WORLD.

Industrial use of forest biomass is at odds with national & global carbon emissions reductions goals for a livable planet. 

We deserve true investments in clean energy, & climate protection that does not mechanize away union jobs & devalue/ disrespect our important forest ecosystems!

The time to move away from high-GHG, polluting energy production is NOW, by meaningful consultation with [hereditary] indigenous leaders & scientists -- NOT by pandering to fossil fuels/ logging firms whose historical contribution to Climate change is utterly defeating- & damning. 

We need climate solutions that prioritize healthy ecosystems & local production, to safeguard aLL Canadians' future wellbeing.  It can be done.. but only if you cut Govt's ties to corrupt industry lobbyists & dictatorships like Brazil.

We're watching you closely, because so far you've only failed Canadians on key Climate action:  & that's unacceptable!

Thank you,

Sarah M. Chesterman 

CULLING: Yet AN(OTHeR) iNDECenT PRoPOSaL..

(Response to a CTV News report that our Govt. is considering a proposal to cull --ie. KILL-- harmless local wild harbour seals & sea lions to 'balance' wildlife populations here in Vancouver BC --BC.CTVNEWS/CommercialSealHunt )

Govt. should be advised to heed this article by one of Raincoast.org's expert conservationists:
https://www.raincoast.org/2019/02/seals-and-sea-lions-in-the-salish-sea-are-all-part-of-a-healthy-food-web/

In other words, 'CULLING' or 'HARVESTING' a key link in an important food chain, in this case a food source of transient killer whales as well as predators of chinook predators, would more likely DISRUPT the balance of a key food chain --if not result in fewer not more wild Chinook salmon, with more not fewer predators created..

With extinction threatening countless wild species worldwide due to climate change/ poaching by humans, we should not be considering such baseless proposals as this heinous bid by the so-called 'Pinniped Society' to KILL the very species they claim to study in exclusivity!?  In fact I strongly suggest ANY group that recommends slaughtering our native wildlife be investigated -- and, if necessary, charged with fraud or conspiracy to sabotage our precious wildlife populations, which these days need all the help they can get to simply survive..

On what basis do we count existence of wildlife among us to be anything but a blessing?

TOURISM is one of BC's best employers of the future; tourists flock here for the chance to experience our native wild species in their natural habitats, which we Canadians are proud to protect as their stewards - as written in our Constitution.  Our Govts need to support the more sustainable path of stewardship of healthy diversity --along with protecting wildlife habitats from polluting development..

Haven't we learned WE are the only species driving Extinction, by allowing UNSUSTAINABLE commercial HARVESTING --ie. REAPING WITHOUT SOWING (REPLENISHING) NATURE's abundance-- without taking due care to ensure their continued regeneration?  People aRe realizating we NEED to keep Nature's ecosystems healthy & whole --to eat Organic grains, nuts + seeds as well as fruit + vegetables to be healthy ourselves.  We don'T need to support Culling/ Deforestation/ Overfishing/ Ocean acidification/ pollution for sustenance, which are proven factors driving climate change, GHGs & global warming.  This essential knowledge, however, hasn't led to changes that restore the requisite balance of healthy ecosystems:  rather, we're still supporting the businesses/ industries/ processes/ products furthering the eco-destruction that's killing us!

Alternatives --solutions-- to existing polluting ops are developed  constantly to meet the urgent imperatives demanded by science (eg. to curtail fossil-fuel use, reduce GHGs/pollution, stop deforestation eTc.)   But progress is negatively impacted --if not sabotaged-- by existing processes --let alone new projects being proposed-- that fail to meet the need for sustainability going forward:  that Govts. even consider new projects that necessitate destruction of Nature + wildlife habitats is NOT in our best interests!

Forcing ordinary people to suffer while their needs are siphoned into the unsustainable luxury lifestyles of their self-appointed saboteurs is wholly UNACCEPTABLE!

The only way to evolve out of this 'Climate Crisis' is to protect the delicate balance of Nature --ie. LEAVE INTACT old-growth forests & the wild ecosystems that took centuries if not millennia to balance.. and of course, correct the calamitous human-caused CRIMES against Nature (like CULLING, fossil-fuel extraction & OVER-FISHING) to REVERSE/ SLOW their predicted dire effects on all living species..

Yet our Govts still choose to  ignore the OBVIOUS science --along with overwhelming evidence (eg. GHGs)-- of the UNSUSTAINABLE path we're on, led like lemmings by same-old status-quo polluting wasteful ways-- to the point where if we don't transition NOW into non-destructive, renewable + sustainable sources in all sectors & PROTECT essential ecosystems from Extinction, our own Extinction invariably follows..

(Watching a world leader petulantly insisting on building a pointless WALL to keep out people, instead of joining forces to solve this dire global dilemma, is almost as tragic as watching our own Govt consider CULLING SEALS/ SEA LIONS:  I can't stand having to relaunch this sickeningly familiar fight, one which my mom & I fought hard for 10 yrs --with + without orgs like PETA-- & FAILED each year to #StopTheSealHunt, despite joining campaigns as big as 500,000 supporters!?)

With my mom gone (she died Aug. 2017) I am MORE determined than ever to stop barbaric culling --esp. the grossly inhumane Commercial Seal Hunt, the largest slaughter of marine mammals on Earth-- forever..

Conservationists agree CULLING IS NEVER THE ANSWER --because humans are always the problem!  It's OUR ways that need to change, not those of innocent animals just being themselves + struggling to live in a harsh human-dominated world.. They deserve the chance to live their lives free from human dangers/ interference..

CLeanBC: GovT's iNTeNT 2 FAiL Us ALL [Updated Jan 2019]

[My response to The BC Govt's 'Clean Growth Intent Papers' -- rhetoric for 'Business As Usual']

'Clean growth' is a purely political term which impLies change without acTuaLLy disrupting the existing order. While the Papers' intro/ summaries suggest Govt 'intends' to transition away from fossil fuel/ polluting industries & toward decarbonization/ renewables, its contents propose few if any ACTUAL changes to the current status quo.

So much for the internationally- accepted UN-supported 2020 deadline for drastic reductions in our C02/GHG emissions..m?rr.n

Abstract mentions of a "climate response" aside,  there are no indications ANY Govt measures taken up until now have done anything but worsen BC's l))l recorded fact.  Yet this 'Intent Paper' proposes NO NEW LEGISLATION - NO SOLID MEASURES that will mitigate effects of continuing approval/ use of polluters such as fossil fuels as our main source of power in all sectors -- construction, industry & transportation.

BC's Intent is apparently to CLAIM (=PRETEND) to support low-emissions/ renewable energy while continuing to allow for expansion of Alberta’s oil sands & BC’s fracked gas industries via new bitumen pipelines & LNG terminals.  According to these Papers, BC intends to continue its lax hands-off-biz M.O. of taking NO REAL MEASURES to lower GHGs, reduce our reliance on polluting fossil fuels oR properly incentivize ACTUAL 'Clean' energy (eg. 100% renewable Geothermal?)  A huge mistake..

Not even ONE SMALL MEASURE is planned to address BC's #1 critically endangered rainforests, to put an immediate stop to logging precious old-growth forest & protect their giant carbon-sequestering advantage (which turns into emitted C02 when logged, something we cannot afford) for future generations' very SURVIVAL..?  WTF #BCNDP..?

One can only conclude that the kind of continued 'Growth' intended by the BC Govt is ever-rising emissions, fires & pollution.. along with increasing ruin of efficient carbon sinks like forests & wilderness. With this obvious INTENT TO FAIL --including failing their responsibilities to Canada's constitution as Stewards of Nature-- I propose this provincial Govt resigns & gives the BC GREENS a chance to improve BC's future outlook:  it's evidently the only way to save BC from certain RUIN as laid out by past Liberal & present [equally unfit] NDP Govts' dereliction of duty, of which these latest 'Intent Papers' = documented proof thereof!? UNBELIEVABLE..

UPDATE JAN.4 2019:
So it's been put thru as 'CleanBC' & here's Sierra Club's Hannah Askew's MiLD too-tame review..
CleanBC-SierraClub'sResponse

Letter to PM re. #StopKM (via 350.org)

The fight to stop the Kinder Morgan pipeline from being built is going strong as KM hurls toward their May 31st deadline to decide.  WE Cdns are cringing @ Justin Trudeau (ouR own PM!) desperately offering to bail out the Big Oil giant with billion$ of PUBLIC DOLLARS!  Disgusting.. (He's supposed to be on OUR SIDE!)

Here's what the pipeline is expected to support: (Expansion  of Tar Sands!)
Rainforest Rescue petition

THRU 350.ORG I wrote this letter to PM Trudeau:


PM Trudeau: Bailing out the Kinder Morgan pipeline = Canada's RUIN

Like many Canadians who wanted to 'Stop Harper', I was hopeful for a fresh, gReeneR way when you were elected Prime Minister.  What Canadian wasn'T excited about a platform that promised reaL action on climate change, reaL Reconciliation with First Nations & an end to fossil fuel subsidies?  Like the rest of the world, we've been waking up to the horrors humans conTinue to  inflict on our environment --& our future.  Science confirmed results of its most in-depth research on the past century of industry on the natural systems on which all life on Earth depends to live --30 years ago-- & we cannnoT aFFoRd to continue clearcutting life-sustaining forests & poisoning our air, earth & water by prevailing unsustainable means of agriculture, energy, industry, manufacturing ET AL..

We're now @ a critical crossroads --& YOU are the leader Canadians elected to take us out of the polluted darkness into the lighT:  AWAY from corporate-sponsored, unlimited (+ unlivable)  'convenience'/ 'growth'/ pollution/ profiTs/ waste.. & TOWARD livable, sustainable processes that put requisite RENEWAL/SOWING back into aLL WE REAP --before it's too late..

WE CANNOT ACCEPT that your government now wants to use biLLion$ of public dollars to build a massive climate-disturbing pipeline that supports toxic Tar-Sands expansion, withouT Indigenous consent!???

WE ARE DEPENDING ON YOU, JUSTIN TRUDEAU & Co., to act in OUR best interests & serve YOUR public as promised!  If you continue to back this destructive project, you wiLL LOSE THE RESPECT, SUPPORT & TRUST OF THE CANADIAN PUBLIC..

OUR EYES ARE OPEN:  this generation is NOT FOOLED BY YESTERDAY'S STATUS-QUO/ BIG-BIZ BS:  OUR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE STARTS NOW --by transitioning out of Climate-warming GHG-emitting processes like deforestation & fossil-fuel extraction/ use into renewable-energy innovation & reduced-footprint sustainability-- OR NEVER.. (Please DO NOT let us down!)


You can write a letter too -- @ this link:
Act.350.org/letter/no-big-oil-bailout/#action-