EcoWest News, July 30, 2024

Welcome to EcoWest News, a weekly round-up of news and resources that you can put to use in addressing environmental issues and protecting the wild in your community.

Across the West

Vancouver’s decision to roll back a bylaw restricting gas heat in new buildings undermines the city’s climate and housing initiatives. “High-performance electric heating systems have proven to be both affordable and efficient.” [Pembina Institute]

Environmentalists are concerned that the BC government is not protecting old growth forests outside of the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. [The Nelson Daily]

CPAWS – Northern Alberta states that one of the most concerning findings of an audit of Alberta’s Environment and Protected Areas Surface Water Management Systems is “the lack of water conservation objectives, and the incompleteness of water management planning across the province.” [CPAWS – Northern Alberta]

A lack of EV chargers outside of urban centres is holding back EV adoption in Manitoba. “If Canada hopes to meet its electric-vehicle targets … all levels of government will need to break down barriers for rural and remote residents — especially First Nations.” [The Narwhal]

Clear Lake, Manitoba, has become the new western battlefront in the war against zebra mussels that cause problems ranging from clogged water intake pipes to toxic algae blooms and decimated fish populations. [The Tyee]

Across Canada

An introduction to green jobs and the green jobs market in Canada. [Starfish Canada]

Around the World

A survey of litter on British beaches has found an 80% drop in plastic bags over the last decade, which advocates say was brought about by a small charge added to disposable bags. [Yale Environment 360]

Clean energy is key to saving billions of birds. Here’s how conservation groups can ensure that clean energy infrastructure is responsibly sited and operated. [Audubon]

Solar balconies provide people who don’t own a house a chance “to track their electricity consumption … to feel themselves as being someone who is a frontrunner in the energy transition, someone who supports the energy transition and is already a part of it.” [EuroNews Green]

A thoughtful review of the impact on wildlife from the construction, operation, and decommissioning of offshore wind turbines indicates that precise science and deliberate timing is key to avoiding unnecessary conflicts. [Hakai Magazine]

With the rise of e-commerce, warehouses have mushroomed, sending out fleets of trucks and delivery vehicles, and increasing air pollution in neighbouring communities. [The Verge]

We need a national wildfire strategy to bring together all levels of government to map out a blueprint for how to better predict, prevent, mitigate and manage fires, and provide small boreal communities with the resources they need to make them more resilient. [The Conversation]

On the Bookshelf

Rob Jackson, the author of Into the Clear Blue Sky, describes his book as “a repair manual for the planet. Maybe a how-to guide for restoring our health and our air in a journey from climate despair to climate repair.” [Inside Climate News]

Nature’s Wonders

An enlarged aorta brings extra oxygen-rich blood to seals’ and sea lions’ bodies enabling them to regularly hold their breath for more than 10 minutes as they forage for food along the ocean floor. [Hakai Magazine]

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/apmckinlay/27940155942

EcoFriendly West informs and encourages initiatives that support Western Canada’s natural environment through its online publication and the Nature Companion website/app. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Mastodon, or subscribe by email.