Canada is not an economic basket case
March 20, 2025 – By David Suzuki with contributions from Senior Editor and Writer Ian Hanington
… We need global alliances, now more than ever, but we must also become more self-reliant. We need to reduce barriers to interprovincial trade and create an integrated renewable energy grid. Our governments must prioritize Indigenous rights, title and governance. We need to make sure our communities are resilient in the face of a warming climate, and we must protect our natural wealth, especially water.
Any trade agreements we join must prioritize human and environmental rights.
Glacier meltdown risks food and water supply of 2 billion people, says UN
Unesco report highlights ‘unprecedented’ glacier loss driven by climate crisis, threatening ecosystems, agriculture and water sources
March 20, 2025 – Fiona Harvey – the Guardian
Retreating glaciers threaten the food and water supply of 2 billion people around the world, the UN has warned, as current “unprecedented” rates of melting will have unpredictable consequences.
Two-thirds of all irrigated agriculture in the world is likely to be affected in some way by receding glaciers and dwindling snowfall in mountain regions, driven by the climate crisis, according to a Unesco report.
Enbridge Doesn’t Make It Easy to Cut Off Your Gas.
Here’s How To Do It.
The Star spoke to six homeowners who have tried to close their Enbridge Gas account. Their experiences paint a muddied picture: two of them had their natural gas meters removed; four say they were told that was unnecessary; four of them say they’ve received bills for gas they didn’t use; and three say they’ve had their account reopened for them without their consent. Two say they were even sent to collections for refusing to pay for accounts that had been closed for nearly a year!
Enbridge spokesperson Kendra Black says anyone who wants to close their account, suspend their natural gas service, or remove natural gas service from their property should call the Enbridge Gas Contact Centre at 1-877-362-7434.
Read the Toronto Star article -> here.
And The Good News Is
Abandoned Coal Mines Are Becoming the Batteries of the Future
Abandoned Coal Mines Are Becoming the Batteries of the Future | Reasons to be Cheerful | Natasha Khullar Relph
From Europe to North America, an energy revolution is breathing new life into empty, long-forgotten coal mine shafts — by repurposing them into places to store renewable energy.
Using “gravity batteries,” these underground facilities aim to tackle one of renewable energy’s greatest challenges: storage. The method is simple: excess renewable energy is used to power winches that lift heavy weights — such as containers filled with sand or rock — up the mine shaft. When additional energy is needed, these weights are released, generating power as they descend.
Read the article here.
Watch Gravitricity Explainer video here. (3:42)
Norway Will Let Cities Introduce Zero-Emission Zones
March 12, 2025 – Compiled by Gaye Taylor – the Energy Mix
Responding to requests from three of its largest municipalities, Norway is moving to allow cities to enforce zero-emission zones, the better to encourage the uptake of electric vans and trucks in the commercial light transport sector.
Norway tops the charts in passenger electric vehicle adoption, with 96% of all new cars registered in January being battery-powered. But freight electrification is lagging, with 70% of vans sold in Norway running on carbon-intensive, polluting diesel, reports The Telegraph.
To reduce diesel traffic in their streets, Oslo, Bergen, and Trondheim sought federal permission to begin mandating zero-emission zones within their boundaries, which they secured on March 4.
No Spare Parts: How Great Lakes Fisheries Are Creatively Minimizing Waste
Feb 21, 2025 – Lydia Larsen – Reasons to be cheerful
Companies across the region have vowed to find a use for the entirety of each fish they catch, from fertilizer to fish skin leather.
Abig lift of whitefish out of Lake Superior weighs about 2,000 pounds for Dennis VanLandschoot, the president of VanLandschoot & Sons Fish Market. But for the fifth-generation family business in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, only about half of that will generate any income. After removing the scales, the head, the stomach and the bones, all that is left is the fillet, which makes up about half a fish’s weight.
…The initiative was born out of a layover that David Naftzger, the executive director of GSGP, had in Iceland. With available free time on his work trip, he set up a meeting with the Iceland Ocean Cluster. This group helped spearhead what has become an industry success story for sustainability and economic recovery following the introduction of strict limits to prevent collapse of the Atlantic cod fisheries in the 1990s.
More Good News
Read our Biweekly Newsletter -> Here
A household in Toronto that replaces gas-powered vehicles with equivalent electric versions, installs a heat pump, forgoes natural gas appliances and makes a few other energy efficiency upgrades could save $550 per month. That’s $6,600 per year.