Human-induced climate change caused the northwestern Pacific warming record in August 2020

A once-in-1000-year warming event has been already altered to occur once per 15 years because of past human activities

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Research News

 

IMAGE: OBSERVED SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES IN AUGUST OVER THE NORTHWESTERN PACIFIC OCEAN. THE WHITE BOXES ARE THE REGION FOCUSED ON IN THIS NEW STUDY. THE COBE SST2 DATASET FROM JMA-MRI IS... view more 

CREDIT: NIES

August 2020 set new record high sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the northwestern Pacific Ocean and around the Japan coasts. A new study led by National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) researchers revealed that this warming record could not happen without human-induced climate changes.

The northwestern Pacific sea surface becomes warm seasonally around August every year. However, it was unprecedentedly high in August 2020, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The extremely high SSTs exceeding 30°C, which lasted until mid-September, may have intensified tropical cyclones such as Typhoon Haisheng, causing severe damages to the East Asian countries. Although human-induced greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide have gradually warmed the northwestern Pacific Ocean since the mid-20th century, it remains unclear yet how much past human activities may increase the occurrence likelihood of such regional record-warm SSTs.

"Understanding the tropical warm water expansion in the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic Oceans is essential for projecting changes in the characteristics of tropical cyclones and other weather events in the future," said Hideo Shiogama, a co-author and the head of Climate Risk Assessment Section at the Center for Global Environmental Research, NIES. "A quantitative evaluation of what drives regional extreme temperatures happening recently is necessary to take appropriate measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the impacts of global warming."

CAPTION

Time series of the northwestern Pacific sea surface temperature in August. Showings are the observational datasets and the simulation results from the climate model (CMIP6) ensemble: the global warming signal (solid black line) and the ranges of 'once-in-20-year' events (95% probability range) in the historical and future experiments (gray shading) and pre-industrial experiments (dashed lines).

The paper published in Geophysical Research Letters illustrates the quantitative impact of greenhouse gases emitted by human activities on the unprecedentedly high SSTs in the northwestern Pacific Ocean in August 2020. By analyzing multiple observational datasets from 1901 to 2020 and a large number of experimental outputs from the state-of-the-art numerical climate models, a climate research group at NIES statistically estimated changes in the occurrence probability of the northwestern Pacific Ocean (120°E-180° and 20°N-35°N) condition exceeding the record-warm SST in August 2020 from the past to future. The scientists revealed that its probability in the present climate was increased from once-in-1000 years to once-in-15 years because of human-induced climate changes.

Detecting human-induced climate changes

"The numerical climate model ensembles are powerful tools to quantitatively distinguish between natural variability of the Earth system and climate changes caused by human activities," said corresponding lead author Michiya Hayashi, a research associate at NIES. The ensemble of 31 climate models participating in the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) consists of a series of historical experiments and future scenario experiments forced by greenhouse gas- and aerosol emissions from human activities and natural volcanic and solar variations from 1850 to 2100. "We can compare the historical and future experiments with a sub-ensemble of the CMIP6 climate models forced only by the natural volcanic and solar activities to estimate to what extent human-caused climate changes have altered the northwestern Pacific Ocean condition until today."

"The northwestern Pacific warming has proceeded clearly since the 1980s," stated Shiogama. "The warming speed has been accelerated in the last four decades as the reduced aerosol emissions do not cancel the warming signal forced by increasing greenhouse gas concentration anymore." The results show that the CMIP6 ensemble well reproduces the observed long-term change in the northwestern Pacific August SST within the range of 'once-in-20-year' events in the historical simulations. "The SSTs that exceed the pre-industrial range are rarely observed during the 20th century but have occurred frequently since 2010, indicating that human influences on the northwestern Pacific Ocean are already detectable in observations," noted a co-author Seita Emori, deputy director of the Center for Global Environmental Research at NIES.

CAPTION

Probability distributions for the northwestern Pacific sea surface temperature in August. For 1901-2000, the climate model (CMIP6) ensemble (solid black line) reproduces the observational values (gray shading). For 2001-2020, the observed values (red triangles) are well covered by the CMIP6 ensemble (solid red line) but not by the sub-ensemble forced by natural variations only (thin blue line). For 2031-2050, the most likely level of the projected probability (solid yellow line) exceeds the 2020 level (dashed red line)

This new study estimates that the occurrence frequency of high northwestern Pacific SSTs exceeding the August 2020 level has been increased from once-in-600 years in the 20th century (1901-2000) to once-in-15 years in the present climate (2001-2020) using the CMIP6 ensemble. On the other hand, in the sub-ensemble forced only by natural volcanic and solar activities, the frequency for 2001-2020 is estimated to be once-in-1000 years or less. "The record high level of the northwestern Pacific SST in August could have occurred approximately once per 15 years in 2001-2020, as observed, but it never likely occurred without human-induced greenhouse gases or in the 20th century," said Hayashi.

Importantly, the scientists also imply from the future scenario experiments that the 2020 record high SST is becoming a new normal climate condition in August at the northwestern Pacific region by 2031-2050 when the globally averaged air temperature relative to pre-industrial levels would exceed 1.5°C. In this case, the tropical warm sea surface water, exceeding 28°C, may reach Japan, the Korean Peninsula, the west coast of India, the east coast of the U.S. mainland, and the west of the Hawaiian Islands. "We might need to prepare for living with such warm ocean conditions even if we humans could achieve the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement," said Hayashi.

"The human-induced ocean warming may have impacted tropical cyclones, heavy rainfall, and marine life from the past to present and will continue in the future unless tremendous mitigation measures would be implemented," added Emori. "It is time to take prompt actions to transform our society for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions and for adapting to a changing climate."

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Humanity Is Hurtling Into a 'Ghastly Future' It Doesn't Comprehend, Scientists Warn

The emergency is not invisible. But that doesn't mean we can see it.

© Xinzheng/Getty Images

After decades of inaction and ineffective action on biodiversity decline, climate change, and pollution, civilisation stands on the precipice of a "ghastly future" it has gravely underestimated, an international team of scientific experts warns in an unnerving new study published this week.

"The scale of the threats to the biosphere and all its lifeforms – including humanity – is in fact so great that it is difficult to grasp for even well-informed experts," the researchers, led by global ecologist Corey Bradshaw from Flinders University in Australia, explain in their paper.

"The mainstream is having difficulty grasping the magnitude of this loss, despite the steady erosion of the fabric of human civilisation."

If the grandiose language seems almost hyperbolic, that's only because of the incredibly high stakes of what we're actually talking about here.

While the authors know fully well that their assessments will be denied, attacked, and ridiculed in many quarters, the knowledge doesn't obviate them – or the scientific community they represent – of the responsibility for sharing the news.

"Our message might not be popular, and indeed is frightening," the researchers write in a companion piece on The Conversation.

"But scientists must be candid and accurate if humanity is to understand the enormity of the challenges we face."

According to the team's research – a review of over 150 studies on different aspects of the worsening state of the natural world – the central problems we face are economic and political systems centred around unsustainable human consumption and population growth at the expense of all else.

The roots of biodiversity loss can be traced back some 11,000 years to the start of agriculture, but the problem has vastly accelerated in recent centuries due to ever-worsening pressures placed on natural ecosystems, to the extent that the reality of a sixth major extinction is now scientifically undeniable, the researchers write.

At the same time, the global human population keeps growing, having doubled since 1970, with estimates suggesting a peak population of nearly 10 billion by the end of the century.

In turn, this ever-expanding human footprint is expected to accelerate and worsen existing food insecurity, soil degradation, biodiversity decline, pollution, social inequality, and regional conflicts.

"This massive ecological overshoot is largely enabled by the increasing use of fossil fuels," the researchers write.

"These convenient fuels have allowed us to decouple human demand from biological regeneration: 85 percent of commercial energy, 65 percent of fibres, and most plastics are now produced from fossil fuels."

Despite all of this being considered established scientific knowledge, human life for the main part largely goes on as if it weren't, the researchers say.

"Stopping biodiversity loss is nowhere close to the top of any country's priorities, trailing far behind other concerns such as employment, healthcare, economic growth, or currency stability," the authors write.

"Humanity is running an ecological Ponzi scheme in which society robs nature and future generations to pay for boosting incomes in the short term. Even the World Economic Forum, which is captive of dangerous greenwashing propaganda, now recognises biodiversity loss as one of the top threats to the global economy."

Even climate change, which is a much more visible threat than biodiversity loss, appears to be too difficult for human societies to contend with, with ever-rising greenhouse gas concentrations, and continued failures by nations to effectively reduce their emissions or set effective climate targets.

Against the grim backdrop of such existential threats, electorates are increasingly embracing right-wing populist leaders with anti-environment agendas that only intensify the existing pressures, while perpetuating false paradigms that peg the 'environment' against the 'economy'.

In the long term, the authors say we are looking at a "ghastly future of mass extinction, declining health, and climate-disruption upheavals (including looming massive migrations) and resource conflicts", if we are unable to change the course of human society in a direction that prevent extinctions and restore ecosystems.

Despite the seeming fatalism of this alarming assessment, the researchers insist theirs is not a call to surrender, but rather a 'cold shower' humanity and its leaders seem to desperately need – a brutal reality check to snap people out of their sleepy, dangerous inertia.

"While there have been more recent calls for the scientific community in particular to be more vocal about their warnings to humanity, these have been insufficiently foreboding to match the scale of the crisis," the scientists conclude.

"It is therefore incumbent on experts in any discipline that deals with the future of the biosphere and human well-being to eschew reticence, avoid sugar-coating the overwhelming challenges ahead and 'tell it like it is'. Anything else is misleading at best, or negligent and potentially lethal for the human enterprise at worst."

The findings are reported in Frontiers in Conservation Science.

‘Groggy climate giant’ slowly awakening from under Arctic Ocean

Frozen for thousands of years in Arctic permafrost, billions of tons of carbon and methane are slowly being released into the atmosphere due to rising temperatures. A new study shows that while the release is slow, continued thawing of this permafrost will significantly impact Earth's climate.

Over the past two centuries, human activities have released around 1.8 trillion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the environment. As a direct result of this, global temperatures have risen by about 1°C since the 1800s. Based on only the most optimistic of projections, that warming is expected to reach at least 2°C by the end of this century.

While the world's nations continue to burn fossil fuels, there is a slumbering 'climate giant' in the Arctic. Permafrost—soil that remains frozen all year long—contains immense reservoirs of buried organic matter, as well as pockets of methane trapped in ice (methane hydrates). As these regions thaw, that trapped methane more easily reaches the surface. Meanwhile, microbes become active in the warmer soil and begin breaking down that organic matter, producing carbon dioxide and methane in the process. As these greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere, warming becomes even worse. This is known as a climate feedback loop.

© Provided by The Weather Network 

This diagram shows an artist's impression of subsea and coastal permafrost, with its abundant carbon and methane deposits.

 Credit: Victor Oleg Leshyk, Northern Arizona University

Knowing exactly how big this carbon reservoir is and how quickly these processes can occur is very important. Scientists need this information to make accurate predictions of how Earth's climate will change in the years to come.

With novel research, an international team of scientists focused their attention on subsea permafrost.

"Subsea permafrost is really unique because it is still responding to a dramatic climate transition from more than ten thousand years ago," Sara Sayedi, the Brigham Young University PhD student who co-led the study, said in a university press release. "In some ways, it can give us a peek into the possible response of permafrost that is thawing today because of human activity."

During the last glacial period, tens of thousands of years ago, much of North America, Europe, and Asia were covered in ice several kilometres thick. With all of that frozen water locked up on land, Earth's oceans were much smaller and more shallow than they are today. In the north, this meant that exposed shores of that shallower ocean became permafrost.

© Provided by The Weather Network

The extent of subsea permafrost during the last glacial maximum (left, dark blue) and current extent (left, light blue), plus the processes of permafrost formation during the LGM, and its submersion over the past 14,000 years. Credit: Sayedi, et al./IOP

As Earth warmed and those glaciers retreated, rising sea levels submerged that permafrost under the frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean. Over those tens of thousands of years, the ocean water, which is only a few degrees above freezing, has been very slowly thawing the subsea permafrost along the northern continental shelves.

During the course of their research, Sayedi and her team combined numerous sources — a method known as 'expert assessment' — to estimate how much buried carbon and methane are likely trapped in these subsea layers. They also produced an estimate for how much is already being released into the atmosphere from this source.

Based on their study, the carbon stored in these regions of subsea permafrost represents the equivalent of over 2 trillion metric tons of carbon dioxide (plus 60 billion metric tons of methane). That is more carbon than has been emitted by all human activity since the start of the Industrial Revolution.

© Provided by The Weather Network

The coastline of the Bykovsky Peninsula in the central Laptev Sea, Siberia retreats during summer, when ice-rich blocks of permafrost fall to the beach and are eroded by waves.

Credit: P. Overduin/IOP

Fortunately, there is some small amount of good news from this study. Their results indicate that Arctic methane and carbon deposits might not be the 'hair-trigger bomb' that we fear they are.

As of 2019, the amount of excess carbon dioxide released each year reached around 40 billion metric tons. The annual release of methane was a little over 600 million metric tons per year. By comparison, the thaw of subsea permafrost only releases around 140 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and 5.3 million metric tons of methane per year. So, while the total amount of carbon stored in subsea permafrost is substantial, the current rate of release is slow.

"These results are important because they indicate substantial but slow climate feedback," Sayedi said. "Some coverage of this region has suggested that human emissions could trigger catastrophic release of methane hydrates, but our study suggests a gradual increase over many decades."

Watch below: Thawing permafrost splits trees, causes massive 'slum
Melting permafrost splits trees, threatens highways in northern Canada


This is not to say that the rate of thaw will always remain slow. The rate the researchers computed is based on the natural warming these permafrost regions have experienced over the past 14,000 years. As the climate continues to warm due to human activities, this rate will undoubtedly increase. By how much remains to be seen (and much more study is needed in this area).

Based on their expert assessment, however, Sayedi and her team believe that the large-scale release of carbon and methane from subsea permafrost is something that would happen over the next few centuries, rather than all at once.

Edmonton union, Alberta labour association criticize Cessco's use of COVID-19 relief funding 

TO HIRE SCABS

© Provided by Edmonton Journal Employees walk the picket line outside the CESSCO manufacturing plant Sept. 8, 2020 after being locked out by the company.

An Edmonton-based company’s use of COVID-19 relief funding in the midst of a lockout is being criticized by local unionized boilermakers and Alberta’s labour association.

Workers at Cessco Fabrication and Engineering Ltd. have been unable to work since June after negotiations with the company fell through earlier last year. The two sides have been trying to reach an agreement on a new contract for more than two years.

It was later discovered Cessco was receiving aid through the federal government’s Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS). The company is registered on the CEWS website, however, the site does not provide any additional details such as when Cessco started receiving the money.

Cessco president Dave Hummel, who previously described the labour dispute as a lockout/strike , said he would not be able to provide a statement before press time when asked by Postmedia on Wednesday.

Hugh MacDonald, business manager of the Boilermakers Lodge 146, said he learned about Cessco receiving relief funding while reading the newspaper on Dec. 20. He said the funding was not intended to be used by a company during a labour dispute.

“I think taxpayers in Canada deserve better,” MacDonald said. “I think they will be astonished to learn that a small portion of this money in this good program is being used in this way. We were quite willing to roll over the contract but Mr. Hummel has indicated that he is not interested in that. Mr. Hummel … is certainly willing to accept federal COVID relief money through the wage subsidy program to subsidize this union-busting campaign.”

Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, said the lockout is the only one happening in the province at the moment and echoed MacDonald’s sentiments that using relief funding to hire non-union workers was inappropriate.

“They’re using this money to hire replacement workers at the expense of the company’s long-time employees who have been locked out now for months,” he said. “It’s important to keep in mind the workers who’ve been locked out are long-time employees. Some of them have been with the company for more than 40 years.”

McGowan said he’s sent a letter to federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to look at closing what he describes as a loophole.

Edmonton Strathcona NDP MP Heather McPherson in a Wednesday news release said the federal government needs to change the funding rules to protect workers.

“We pushed the federal Liberals hard to create this 75 per cent wage subsidy to support workers and help businesses survive the pandemic,” she said in the release. “But giving Cessco federal COVID relief funds so they can continue to lock out their workers is not acceptable.”

Meanwhile, the situation at the picket line hasn’t always been peaceful.

Edmonton city police confirmed that a 36-year-old man was charged with causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon back in October at the plant along 99 Street.

MacDonald said the man charged was a union organizer. He said the matter is still before the courts but felt besides that incident, the situation has been relatively peaceful.

Alberta musician Corb Lund comes out against proposed coal mines in Rocky Mountains

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — Corb Lund, perhaps Canada's pre-eminent singer about rural life and cowboy culture, is warning Albertans.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

"I've seen this coming for a while," he said from his home in Lethbridge, Alta., the day after posting a Facebook video lambasting the province's plans to open a vast stretch of its Rocky Mountains to open-pit coal mining. 

"I wrote this song about 15 years ago. It's called "This Is My Prairie."

In it, a rancher laments the industrialization and destruction of the landscape — exactly what Lund fears may happen to his beloved Alberta foothills as coal companies snap up thousands of hectares of previously unmined mountaintops and valleys.

"The scope of this thing — it's huge," Lund said in an interview. "I'm from the foothills and it threatens the hell out of our water. And the mountains. It's a big one."

Lund has released 11 albums documenting the life and culture of those who ride horses to work, labour outdoors, and know what it means when the truck gets stuck in spring gumbo. He regularly tours Canada and around the world and is just as popular with the boots-and-Wranglers set as he is with urban hipsters.

In his video, Lund talks about the province rescinding coal policy dating from 1976, which made those landscapes off-limits to that kind of development.

 

https://wus-streaming-video-msn-com.akamaized.net/2cccbbe7-c9a0-4e19-91b3-6aee93b0a395/06e30362-7d16-42c9-9ef2-1155df9c_2250.mp4

"There's a lot of bad things about it," he said on Facebook. "It's scary. I'm spooked."

Lund, a sixth-generation southern Albertan, points out the area contains the headwaters for freshwater on which millions depend. Coal mining can release selenium, a highly toxic element that is already poisoning watersheds downstream of coal mines in British Columbia.

Perhaps just as bad is the way the change was made, he said.

"I don't like how it was done, with seemingly no public consultation of potentially affected parties."

That's one of the reasons he made the video — to let people know what was happening.

"Not many people know about it. My friends that irrigate in southern Alberta didn't know about it, and I didn't know about it until December."

Lund said his concerns aren't political.

"I've talked to people in three different political parties about this, federal and provincial. I've talked to ranchers and farmers. I've talked to all sides here."

He's met with Alberta Environment Minister Jason Nixon and Energy Minister Sonya Savage.

"I asked them why this is a good idea. I wasn't satisfied with the answers,'' he said.

"They're basically asking us to trust them but I don't trust anyone on this stuff."

The Alberta government did not immediately comment.

Lund said coal mining is not a divisive issue in his circles. People oppose it.

"I haven't really run into too many people who think it's a good idea to rip up the mountains and poison the water."

"I understand (the government is) trying to help the economy, but this is short-term, silly thinking."

The eastern slopes, where the prairies vault into the spires of the Rocky Mountains, are too close to Alberta's sense of itself to mess with, he said.

"I've travelled a lot. Every time I get off the airplane in Calgary and start driving south, it's a magical feeling for me. It's a pretty damn special place and anyone who visits and hasn't seen it is like, 'Oh my God.'"

Alberta has a long history of taking shots from entertainment figures who disagree with its environmental policies. The list includes Jane Fonda, James Cameron, Neil Young and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Lund doesn't want to be added to that folder.

"I live here," he said. "My family's been here since the 1800s. It's different."

Lund isn't sure what his next step will be, or if there is a next step.

"I don't know," he said. "I've always stayed out of current events because I feel I have a different role to play.

"But this one's such a big deal I just can't stay out of it."

-- By Bob Weber in Edmonton

-- Follow @row1960 on Twitter

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2021.

The Canadian Press

Alberta decision to open Rockies to coal mining to face court challenges in new year

December 24, 2020·

NOTE THE DATE ONCE AGAIN OUR RIGHT WING UCP GOVT TRIES TO HIDE ITS ECO DESTRUCTION UNDER A BUSHEL, RELEASING INFO XMAS WEEK



EDMONTON — The Alberta government is to face at least two court challenges in the new year over its decision to rescind decades-old protections and open the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains to coal mining.

Landowners and the Ermineskin and Whitefish Lake First Nations have filed separate requests for a judicial review of the decision, which they argue was made without legally required consultations.

"It really focuses in on the lack of consultation our clients received," said Richard Harrison, lawyer for several ranchers whose grazing leases overlap with land now available for open-pit, steelmaking coal mines.

"That one act — on the Friday before the May long weekend — to rescind the coal policy really had a detrimental effect."

Harrison said the requests are to come up in court the week of Jan. 18. A judge is to hear an argument from Alberta to have the applications dismissed and who will get intervener status if they go ahead.

Documents filed suggest government lawyers will argue that policies are not the same as legislation and can be changed unilaterally.

Alberta Energy did not respond to a request for responses it has filed with the court.

The eastern slopes comprise some of Alberta's most ecologically valuable land — habitat for threatened species as well as the headwaters of rivers millions of Albertans rely on for water.

In May, the United Conservative government announced it would remove rules for coal development in the region that had been in place since 1976. They set zones allowing no development in the most sensitive land and progressively more activity in proportion to the environmental value of the land.

The classifications were applied in advance of any assessment by the Alberta Energy Regulator.

Under the new policy, only the top designation remains. Mine proposals on all other land now go directly to the regulator.

Although it imposes conditions on development, the Alberta Energy Regulator has never turned a proposal down.

Court documents show the applicants will argue that both Alberta legislation and common practice require the province to consult with anyone affected before making land-use decisions. They point to the Alberta Land Stewardship Act and various land-use plans that have been agreed to over the years.

"There's a common law right to consultation when a government decision is going to affect you," said Harrison.

Legislation stipulates that whenever a land-use plan is changed or amended, appropriate public consultation must be carried out. The change must also be tabled in the legislature.

The applicants argue that a series of coal mines constitute a change in land use.

The Livingstone Landowners Group, which has asked to intervene, says its 2,500 members have worked with the province for years on managing competing uses.

"The province has always led us to believe that land-use planning needs input from local people," said president Bill Trafford. "Then they go, 'That's not convenient anymore.' "

Harrison said an Alberta Energy document shows the government chose to move unilaterally despite warnings from officials.

In that document, entered into the court record, Alberta Energy officials warned minister Sonya Savage that dismissing the coal policy on her own carried risks.

"It will draw criticism from environmental groups and other user groups active within Alberta's eastern slopes, particularly if the decision is made without prior public consultation."

It also warned that land-use plans agreed to over the years would be dramatically affected by removing the protections, leaving what it called "policy gaps."

One proposed coal mine, the Grassy Mountain project near the headwaters of the Oldman River, is before a joint federal-provincial review panel. Several others are waiting.

Earlier this month, the province sold coal leases for about 2,000 hectares on the eastern slopes. Land leased for coal now stretches in an almost unbroken swath for nearly 60 kilometres in Alberta's southwest corner.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 24, 2020.

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

Damage seen across Calgary following windstorm with gusts up to 90 km/h

Kaylen Small and Melissa Gilligan GLOBAL NEWS

Note to print subscribers: blizzard prevents delivery Thursday

A wind warning was issued for Calgary on Wednesday morning with gusts up to 90 kilometres an hour expected.

© Global News The aftermath of a windstorm in Calgary on Jan. 13, 2021.

The warning from Environment Canada was issued at around 8:30 a.m. and also included Rocky View County near Cochrane. Those warnings were dropped by 3:30 p.m.

Read more: Freezing rain, wind, snowfall warnings issued after weeks of mild weather in Alberta

"Loose objects may be tossed by the wind and cause injury or damage," Environment Canada said. "Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions due to high winds."

The Calgary Fire Department said it responded to trees landing on power lines, debris flying onto roadways and siding and roofing material ripped from buildings.

The CFD reminded people to secure things in their yard and call 911 if they see a downed power line and ensure they stay 10 metres away.

"All of these incidents created potentially serious public hazards for citizens," the CFD said. "A majority of the incidents occurred between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m."

Fire crews responded to a collapsed cinder block at a construction site at the 1000 block of Edmonton Trail, landing on a neighbouring house after 8:30 a.m. No injuries were reported.

Calgary homeowner Joanne Reid called the aftermath a "totally disastrous mess."


"I came home to this big mess, and my husband described hearing a loud crash," she said as her hair blew in the wind.

"The neighbour's garage is flattened. The corner of her house is ripped off. Her gas and electricity had to be cut off because the power lines came down. The corner of our deck is totally smashed."

After noon, people reported to 911 that metal sheeting was coming off of the top floor of a high-rise residential building located at the 200 block of 5 Avenue. Crews removed the metal and stored it inside. No injuries were evident, CFD said.

At the Hangar Flight Museum, the wind punctured an aging structure that houses aircraft, prompting concerns for public safety.

"We have been hit hard here at the museum with the tent hangar," executive director Brian Desjardins said.

"The tear has essentially escalated quite a bit to the point where we have informed all the authorities."

The CFD confirmed it responded to the 4600 block of McCall Way for damage to a large industrial storage tent before 1 p.m.

"Today's wind tore a large section of the roof, putting it at risk of tearing off completely and possibly landing in traffic of the nearby roadway, McKnight Boulevard," the CFD said.

"Firefighters scaled the inside of the structure and safely removed the loose portion of the tent roof without incident. No injuries were reported."

Desjardins added that no planes were damaged.

Amid the windy conditions in Calgary on Wednesday, WinSport announced it would be keeping the ski and snowboard hill at Canada Olympic Park closed for the evening.

The hill was set to be open from 4 - 9 p.m. WinSport said it anticipates the hill will be open for business on Thursday evening.

Video: High winds cause semi truck to tip over in southern Alberta

The wind warning in Calgary was one of many other warnings in place throughout the province on Wednesday, including another in the Lethbridge area, a freezing rain warning in Edmonton and snowfall warnings in the Banff and Jasper regions.

For a complete list of areas in Alberta under a weather alert, click here.


Want your weather on the go? Download Global News’ Skytracker weather app for iPhone, iPad and Android.

Alberta winds toy with transport truck before pushing it over

The Weather Network

Extreme Alberta winds toy with transport truck before pushing it over

Duration: 00:45 1 day ago

NO SMALL FEAT CONSIDERING ITS A SEMI TANDEM TRAILER UNIT

THE WEATHER NETWORK TEAM WAS BEHIND THIS SEMI

WHEN IT GOT BLOWN OVER. THE DRIVER WAS UNHURT

NO INDICATION OF WHETHER IT WAS A FULL OR EMPTY UNIT

Tuesday's truck tipping winds in Alberta just a precursor to the potent incoming storm (msn.com)

Activists slam 'sham trial' of Cambodia opposition members

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A Cambodian-American lawyer said Thursday she was being persecuted for her political opinion as she and dozens of other government critics charged with treason and other offences returned to court in a trial criticized by rights advocates.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The more than 60 defendants are mostly former members or supporters of the disbanded Cambodia National Rescue Party, which had been the sole credible political opposition until Cambodia’s highest court in late 2017 ordered its dissolution.

Many of them are accused of being involved with a failed effort by former opposition leader Sam Rainsy to return from exile in November 2019 to challenge the country's long-time ruler, Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Fellow activists in exile have announced they will likewise try to return this Sunday although their plans are again opposed by Hun Sen's government, which has launched a sweeping crackdown on opponents.

Theary Seng, a Cambodian-American lawyer who has long been one of the most outspoken Hun Sen critics, told reporters on her arrival at court that she was not afraid of his regime and would not be intimidated.

Describing the charges as bogus and baseless, and the proceedings as “a sham trial,” she said that “the decision will be made by politicians, not judges.”

“I’m being persecuted for my political opinion, for expressing my opinion,” she said.

Hun Sen has been in power for more than three decades, and tolerates little opposition. An adroit political operator, he has employed both guile and force to maintain his position in an ostensibly democratic state.

A statement by Amnesty International said that along with related cases, approximately 150 opposition politicians and supporters are facing mass trials.

“These mass trials are an affront to international fair trial standards, Cambodia’s human rights commitments and the rule of law,” said the group’s Asia-Pacific regional director, Yamini Mishra. “This onslaught of cases is the culmination of a relentless campaign of persecution against Cambodia’s political opposition and other dissenting voices.”?

Misha said that the recent history suggests those accused have faint hopes of a fair trial. "When it comes to cases against opposition activists and government critics, political motivations consistently outweigh facts and law.”

Virtually all of the defendants have been charged with conspiracy to commit treason and incitement to commit a felony, which together carry a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison.

Dozens are believed to be abroad, but under Cambodian law can be tried and sentenced in absentia.

The initial hearing by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for about 130 defendants was held in November, at which the judge agreed to split the defendants into two groups to make the proceedings easier and allow those who did not yet have lawyers and declined court-appointed ones to find representation. The hearings for the second batch are slated to begin on March 4.

Several Western nations have imposed sanctions on Hun Sen's government, mainly after concluding that elections in 2008 without the opposition were neither free nor fair. The harshest measure came from the European Union, which last year withdrew some preferential trading privileges.

Sopheng Cheang, The Associated Press

WHO team arrives in Wuhan to investigate pandemic origins

WUHAN, China — A global team of researchers arrived Thursday in the Chinese city where the coronavirus pandemic was first detected to conduct a politically sensitive investigation into its origins amid uncertainty about whether Beijing might try to prevent embarrassing discoveries.  

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The 10-member team sent to Wuhan by the World Health Organization was approved by President Xi Jinping's government after months of diplomatic wrangling that prompted an unusual public complaint by the head of the WHO.

Scientists suspect the virus that has killed 1.9 million people since late 2019 jumped to humans from bats or other animals, most likely in China's southwest. The ruling Communist Party, stung by complaints it allowed the disease to spread, says the virus came from abroad, possibly on imported seafood, but scientists reject that.

The team arrived at the Wuhan airport a little past 11 a.m. on a bright-yellow Scoot jet and walked through a makeshift clear plastic tunnel into the airport. The researchers, who only wore face masks, were greeted by airport staff in full protective gear, complete with mask, goggles and full body suits.

The team members include virus and other experts from the United States, Australia, Germany, Japan, Britain, Russia, the Netherlands, Qatar and Vietnam.

A government spokesman said this week they will “exchange views” with Chinese scientists but gave no indication whether they would be allowed to gather evidence.

They will undergo a two-week quarantine as well as a throat swab test and an antibody test for COVID-19, according to CGTN, the English-language channel of state broadcaster CCTV. They are to start working with Chinese experts via video conference while in quarantine.

China rejected demands for an international investigation after the Trump administration blamed Beijing for the virus's spread, which plunged the global economy into its deepest slump since the 1930s.

After Australia called in April for an independent inquiry, Beijing retaliated by blocking imports of Australian beef, wine and other goods.

One possibility is that a wildlife poacher might have passed the virus to traders who carried it to Wuhan, one of the WHO team members, zoologist Peter Daszak of the U.S. group EcoHealth Alliance, told the Associated Press in November.

A single visit by scientists is unlikely to confirm the virus's origins; pinning down an outbreak's animal reservoir is typically an exhaustive endeavour that takes years of research including taking animal samples, genetic analysis and epidemiological studies.

“The government should be very transparent and collaborative," said Shin-Ru Shih, director at the Research Center for Emerging Viral Infections at Taiwan's Chang Gung University.

The Chinese government has tried to stir confusion about the virus's origin. It has promoted theories, with little evidence, that the outbreak might have started with imports of tainted seafood, a notion rejected by international scientists and agencies.

"The WHO will need to conduct similar investigations in other places,” an official of the National Health Commission, Mi Feng, said Wednesday.

Some of the WHO team were en route to China a week ago but had to turn back after Beijing announced they hadn't received valid visas.

That might have been a “bureaucratic bungle,” but the incident "raises the question if the Chinese authorities were trying to interfere,” said Adam Kamradt-Scott, a health expert at the University of Sydney.

A possible focus for investigators is the Wuhan Institute of Virology in the city where the outbreak began. One of China's top virus research labs, it built an archive of genetic information about bat coronaviruses after the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

According to WHO's published agenda for its origins research, there are no plans to assess whether there might have been an accidental release of the coronavirus at the Wuhan lab, as some American politicians, including President Donald Trump, have claimed.

A “scientific audit” of Institute records and safety measures would be a “routine activity,” said Mark Woolhouse, an epidemiologist at the University of Edinburgh. He said that depends on how willing Chinese authorities are to share information.

“There’s a big element of trust here,” Woolhouse said.

An AP investigation found the government imposed controls on research into the outbreak and bars scientists from speaking to reporters.

The coronavirus's exact origin may never be traced because viruses change quickly, said Woolhouse.

Although it may be challenging to find precisely the same COVID-19 virus in animals as in humans, discovering closely related viruses might help explain how the disease first jumped from animals and clarify what preventive measures are needed to avoid future epidemics.

Scientists should focus instead on making a “comprehensive picture” of the virus to help respond to future outbreaks, Woolhouse said.

“Now is not the time to blame anyone," Shih said. “We shouldn’t say, it’s your fault.”

___

Wu reported from Taipei, Taiwan.

Sam McNeil And Huizhong Wu, The Associated P

Capitol riot reaction: Corporations and the future of political donations

The storming of the Capitol has led to a growing movement among the market's largest companies to reassess their political spending

Some companies have specifically stopped donating to any politicians who supported President Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election results, while others are suspending all contributions to politicians from both parties.

Political spending experts remain skeptical that the status quo in Washington D.C., where politics have long mixed with business interests, will permanently change, but Charles Schwab became one of the first to say it was ending its corporate PAC.

© Provided by CNBC Members of U.S. Capitol Police try to fend off a mob of supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump as one of them tries to use a flag like a spear as the supporters storm the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, January 6, 2021.

Companies across major sectors of the market are reassessing political donations in response to last week's storming of the U.S. Capitol, but it is too soon to know whether it leads to fundamental changes in the way money flows between politics and business.

For decades, political action committees have served as a mechanism for corporations and trade groups to maintain sway in Washington, D.C. It is big money, but also far from the only way companies can move money around in politics. But many companies also contribute to candidates and causes using 527 groups and super PACs, among other contribution methods, which can raise unlimited funds from individuals and corporations.

According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, corporate PACs accounted for about 5% of money accumulated for the 2020 election. The rise of small donors as well as the political action committees allowing unlimited donations have made the role of specific corporate political giving directly to candidates smaller over time.

Even though the 2020 election set a record for donations, the Center for Responsive Politics notes that, "Traditional PACs, often used by corporations to curry favor with lawmakers, are losing relative influence. ... That's because the PAC contribution limit of $5,000 hasn't increased in decades, and corporate PACs have become toxic to some Democrats." They are making up the gap, in part, by record levels of donations from small donors, which accounted for 22% of the money raised in the 2020 cycle, a record, up from 15% of the money raised in the 2016 election.

Many of the freezes on political donations to candidates being announced by companies don't include political action committees not associated with specific candidates, and that means the moves could end up being more symbolic than consequential in shaping the future scope of political donations. It is also an opportune time to freeze political spending with consequences as a major election cycle just ended.

"It is a very difficult time for business leaders. Nobody gave money to a candidate or cause thinking they would ultimately end up voting against the certification of the next president. They make contributions based on how they think the individual will affect their company and industry," said Mark Weinberger, former CEO of EY and former Assistant Treasury Secretary in the George W. Bush Administration, said on CNBC's Squawk Box on Wednesday.

"You have to separate the moment from the overall system of how financing to elections is done these days," he said. "People are stopping because they want to show immediate accountability and they don't know what to do yet. ... Nobody gave money to fund sedition."

American Express was among the companies that said it would stop supporting candidates that attempted to "disrupt the peaceful transition of power." The credit card company said it had contributed to 22 of the 139 House members who objected to the Electoral College results.

VIDEO "Chamber's Donohue on businesses halting political donations in response to riot"

Weinberger said while certain politicians who supported President Trump's effort to overturn the election results may find it difficult to raise money in the future from companies, he thinks it is harder to see how companies unilaterally remove themselves from the political influence system.

"I think it is hard for businesses alone to decide they are no longer going to participate in the system," he said. "You have environmental groups and labor groups that all contribute to PACs. It is reasonable to look at the entire system, but to say individual companies should just stop on their own is like unilateral disarmament."

Charles Schwab said earlier this week it would halt contributions for the remainder of the year, but by Wednesday announced it was discontinuing its corporate PAC, becoming one of the first corporations to make the move permanent.

Campaign donation experts remain skeptical that PACs are likely to dissipate as they represent useful transactional tools that help companies gain access and facetime with individuals in Washington.

"Right now, the companies who sponsor these PACs are simply trying to balance the need to on the one hand curry favor with elected officials and avoid public wrath and boycott," said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics.

While halting PAC donations comes as "a good first step," companies will need to reevaluate their approach to spending including contributions using corporate funds and 527s, said Bruce Freed, president and co-founder of the Center for Political Accountability.

"It's very easy at the moment to say we're going to pause, we're going to halt, but what happens when we get into early fall, what happens when we get into early next year," Freed said.

There are other ways to balance political interests for major companies. Since its founding, IBM has long avoided political givings to candidates and does not operate a PAC, although contributions have been made by individuals affiliated with the company, according to data from Open Secrets, and its CEO was among the first in the market to send a letter to President-elect Biden outlining policy priorities.

Apple, the most successful company in the world today, does not operate a PAC, although it "occasionally makes contributions for ballot measures and initiatives" in support of public schools in Cupertino.

"We carefully manage our engagement in the public policy process and have internal teams that coordinate those efforts," the company's public policy statement reads. "Strategic decisions about advocacy are made at the highest levels, including Apple's Executive Team and CEO Tim Cook."

At least one of the most recent major political battles fought — and won — by corporations was the California ballot initiative funded by Uber and other gig economy companies to overturn a California law on employee classification. That November ballot funding effort was seen as a major wake-up call as to how corporations can use their money to influence voter decisions.

Big tech, Wall Street and future of political giving

From technology giants like Microsoft and Facebook to Wall Street behemoths like Goldman Sachs, here's a rundown of some of the big names joining the movement to at least temporarily suspend donations to politicians as corporations reassess how their money intersects with politics in a polarized nation. Political discontent has been rising within companies as well, especially among the employees at the largest technology companies.

Earlier this month, some Microsoft employees spoke out against the company's recent donations to senators who supported overturning election results. This week, the company put its political contributions on hold.

Amazon, which pulled its web hosting support for the social media site Parler which has become a popular alternative for conservatives, also halted donations to lawmakers who voted against certifying the electoral results. Google and Apple already had pulled the service from their app stores, though Apple has said it

VIDEO Duration 5:44 Tim Cook says Parler can get back on the App Store if it complies with terms of service


Facebook has paused, for at least the current quarter, its political spending, and Alphabet said it is also freezing political donations as it reviews its policies. Alphabet's YouTube became the latest to suspend a social media account associated with President Trump on Tuesday night, echoing moves already made by Twitter and Facebook.

VIDEO Duration 5:40 Former EY CEO Mark Weinberger on corporate America's halt of political contributions

On Wall Street, the major banks have all made moves to reassess their spending on politics.

Morgan Stanley announced it would not donate to lawmakers that opposed the electoral certification, going further than some Wall Street peers in specifying members of the Republican Party who supported President Trump's attempts to overturn the election.

Both Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase said they will likely halt political donations for six months, while Citigroup announced a first-quarter pause. A Bank of America spokesman said it will factor recent events into 2022 midterm election contributions, while Wells Fargo will review its political action committee strategy.

What other corporations are doing
Walmart said it will indefinitely suspend contributions to members of Congress who voted against the lawful certification of state Electoral College votes and is reviewing its donation strategy.

Marriott International announced a suspension of its political contributions.

Hilton will continue a suspension of political donations it began last March.

The Coca-Cola Company announced it would halt all political givings.

Hallmark is asking for a return of contributions from Senators Josh Hawley Missouri and Roger Marshall of Kansas. Both lawmakers supported overturning election results.

Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast said they are halting donations to lawmakers that voted against certifying electoral results.

Blue Cross Blue Shield announced a suspension of donations to Republican lawmakers that voted against certifying election results.

Dow will pause contributions to lawmakers that supported overturning election results for one election cycle — two years for House members and up to six years for Senators.

Ford Motor Company is putting a pause on new contributions from its employee PAC.

Other companies that have suspended all political giving: American Airlines, BlackRock, BP, Target, US Bank, Visa.

Other companies that have suspended giving to candidates involved in disrupting the electoral process: Best Buy, Cigna, Commerce Bank, Disney, General Electric, Intel, State Street.

Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC.