The effects of climate change on the forests, landscapes, jobs and communities of British Columbia are increasingly evident across the province, including infestation by insects such as the pine beetle (which has killed millions of hectares of Interior pine forest), severe wildfires, drought, flooding, and other problems. The pine beetle epidemic alone has resulted in the loss of thousands of forestry jobs and the closure of dozens of mills, and climate change is having other negative effects on both the forests and economy.
Antarctic warming is accelerating: at least one of the southern continent’s ice shelves has been melting faster than ever. The polar summer of 2019-2020 set a new record for temperatures above freezing point over the George VI ice shelf off the Antarctic Peninsula.
The finding is ominous: the ice shelves form a natural buttress that slows the rate of glacier flow from the continental bedrock. The faster the glaciers flow into the sea, the higher the hazard of sea level rise.
On March 1st, eight water and land protectors (now known in the press as the Secwépemc 8) appeared either in Kamloops Supreme Court or by phone.
The next hearing is scheduled for March 15th at 2 PM in Kamloops Supreme Court (or by phone for the arrestees who reside in the Lower Mainland). The dial-in number and passcode will be shared, once they are available, and anyone from the public is welcome to join the call as an observer, but is not permitted to speak.
There have been many visitors recently to land along the Brunette River in Burnaby where Trans Mountain is cutting down trees.
But not all of them are on land.
As the area has been the site of several recent protests, a group of river otters were also spotted hanging out near where the trees are being cut down by chainsaws.
You can watch the video below. Protesters have worried about the impact on the Brunette from Trans Mountain's work.
Protesters attempting to protect some of the last stands of old-growth forest on southern Vancouver Island are facing arrest if a logging company gets court approval to disband their camps this week.
Forestry company Teal-Jones has filed an application with the Supreme Court of British Columbia for an injunction to remove the Fairy Creek blockade at various entry points to its Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 46 near the community of Port Renfrew.
MARCH 1, 2021 - VANCOUVER, BC – Today, PVLA released the report, “Reassessment of Site C Financial Viability” by Robert McCullough, a highly respected economist and expert on power projects. This report, following the recent release of Peter Milburn’s findings, updates McCullough’s October 2020 analysis of Site C cost estimates and financial viability.
