DECEMBER 2024

This ClimateFast newsletter shares information about the Climate Crisis that may interest our readers, but does not necessarily reflect the views of ClimateFast as an organization, nor those of its members. If you have an event or resource you would like to share, please send it to newsletter@climatefast.ca.

PLEASE NOTE: this newsletter may be truncated when you receive it; click on 'view entire message' at bottom to see the full document.

Anna and Linda from ClimateFast, leafletting outside the Rogers Centre

As everyone knows, Taylor Swift was recently in Toronto for six sold-out shows at the Rogers Centre. That meant 45-50,000 people were there to see her each night! ClimateFast took this opportunity to connect with the crowds by standing outside the venue on nights 5 and 6,  to hand out information about volunteering to help fight the Climate Crisis. If you're interested in fighting the Climate Crisis with us, contact us at newsletter@climatefast.ca! 

Toronto passed a Climate Action Plan in 2021, which aims to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 (TransformTO Net Zero Strategy.) The first five-year set of strategies is wrapping up next year, so in 2025, councillors will adopt a new plan for 2026-30. That new plan has to  be bold to achieve emissions reductions of 65% below 1990 levels.

Right now, the City has a survey open - till Jan 31st - to gather information on what residents are doing to reduce climate emissions and to adapt to the changes we are already seeing. Everyone is encouraged to fill out the survey here.

However, the City's survey doesn't ask for ideas about what the City should do.  Therefore, Toronto Climate Action Network (TCAN), of which ClimateFast is a part, has developed a second survey to tease out what residents think the City should do to respond to the Climate Crisis. Please also respond to it here with your big bold ideas!

Are you unfamiliar with City Council and climate policies? Then we really need you! Come join us for the final focus group session for the Climate Voting Records website happening  Wednesday December 11 via Zoom from 7-8:30 pm. We are specifically looking for participants who can give us feedback on whether the website is comprehensive and self-explanatory for people with limited climate and/or policy backgrounds. By participating in this focus group, you can help make the website better for future users, and it's also a great way to get involved in ClimateFast and learn more about the project!

To help, please email info@climatefast.ca with the subject "December 11th - Voting Records Website Focus group."

In spite of the provincial government having passed Bill 212 last week, bike rallies continue in protest of this legislation. As recently as November 29, Critical Mass Toronto gathered cyclists in the west end of the city to ride together and create a presence in the streets. Bill 212 allows the province to direct the removal of bike lanes on major roads, and, in Toronto, specifically those on Bloor and Yonge Sts. and University Avenue. 

Opponents argue that Premier Doug Ford is too focused on local Toronto issues rather than provincial ones. Ford has criticized bike lanes for causing traffic gridlock—especially on Bloor Street West near his home As expected, local cyclists are not pleased. Separated bike lanes make cycling much safer.

Other bike rallies are planned. On December 7, you can join Fridays for Future Toronto in a ride and protest to MPP Christine Hogarth's office in Etobicoke. On December 8, you're invited as Community Bikeways holds its annual holiday ride - Cycling Good Cheer.

Photo credit: Joshua Best

From Not One Seat: "We believe the Opposition parties have far more in common than not, in their fundamental understanding that we must protect and improve Ontario's public health care, that we must protect the environment and reduce our carbon footprint, that we must effectively address the housing crisis, and most of all, that Ontario's public institutions are not to be underfunded and replaced by private interests." Check their website today!

• A band-aid on a bullet wound: Climate Action Network Canada reacts to COP29 outcome. Nov 24, 2024.

This CAN-Rac (Climate Action Network Canada) press release, put out at the end of COP29, quotes Caroline Brouillette, Executive Director of CAN-Rac: “The fact that it’s a bigger band-aid than we’ve seen before is cold comfort when the world is also bleeding more heavily than ever. The climate crisis is hurting people here and now; a vague promise to be fulfilled by 2035 is an insult to those who have already lost their homes, health, and livelihoods."

• Carbon Brief's journalists discuss COP29's key outcomes. Nov 25, 2024.

Less than 48 hours after COP29 wrapped up, Carbon Brief ran a webinar to talk through all the key outcomes from the summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. The team discussed the new climate finance goal adopted at COP29, the role of China in negotiations, the finalization of Article 6 carbon trading rules, and much more. The discussion built on Carbon Brief’s detailed summary of the key outcomes from the summit. The title links to a recording of the webinar on YouTube.

• Feelings Don't Care About your Facts: Hurricanes and Fires in the Age of Conspiracy. Nov 19, 2024. University of British Columbia Centre for Climate Justice.

In this webinar, Naomi Klein, Dr. Kendra Jewell, Dr. Chris Russill, and Erin Blondeau explored the intersection of climate change, disinformation, and conspiracy theories, and how they shape public perception and policy responses. The title link includes a high-level summary of the webinar, as well as the full recording, slide decks, and other materials referenced by the speakers.

Excerpted from Dear Climate Therapist | Gen Dread Nov 27, 2024

A reader admits conflicted feelings in the days before Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida. While horrified by the potential devastation and suffering, they also admit to a fleeting but unsettling hope that such destruction might finally serve as a wake-up call about the climate crisis. 

The 'therapist' responds with sympathy. They understand the awfulness of wanting a climate event to create a 'tipping point,' and at the same time the inhumaneness of even thinking that. They write: "we must reach this point, I think, over and over again, to feel that ‘surely this time people will wake up and understand’. And then bear the disappointment, get up from our own despair, and find a way to keep moving forward."

They continue: "We need to stretch our hearts wide enough to make room for all these feelings, because this is when we are at the edge of our own sorrow and frustration. Then we must take a deep breath and stretch further, again and again. Without breaking."

They conclude: "It’s not you, it’s them, I’m afraid. You make perfect sense."

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