#DISARM  #DEFUND #DISBAND

Advocates make last-minute push to defund Toronto police during 2021 budget deliberations

Mon., January 25, 2021, 

Local activists and community groups pushing for the defunding of Toronto police are making a final appeal this week to slash the force's 2021 budget.

The calls to drastically reduce the proposed $1.076 billion police budget were made repeatedly during a Monday meeting of Toronto's budget committee, which is in the process of finalizing its 2021 spending plan.

"I think they're vulnerable," said Gary Kinsman, a member of No Pride in Policing, a queer and trans anti-racist organization. "This is the time that we think community organizations need to mobilize."

Kinsman's group is among those making formal deputations to the budget committee this week, demanding that Toronto immediately cut the police budget by 50 per cent, a demand first made by Black Lives Matter Toronto in 2020.

One Toronto city councillor, however, says it's important to note that a large chunk of this year's police budget is guaranteed in collective agreements, which run for several more years.

Kinsman said the momentum generated since last year's global protests against anti-Black racism and police brutality have created an opportunity for activist groups seeking an overhaul of policing.

Groups calling for a defunding of the police have argued that money currently spent on policing should be redirected to community organizations and front-line services that feature mental health experts and social workers.

"It's just amazing the type of city we could actually build, if we could just spend that money on what people actually need," Kinsman said.

People calling for a defunding of the police say that armed officers are ill-suited to respond to many types of calls, including those involving people of colour experiencing mental health issues.

"In a majority of settings, policing is the wrong tool for improving safety," said Brian De Matos, a board member at Pride Toronto, during his Monday deputation.

Pride Toronto is also now calling for a 50 per cent police budget reduction.

"We can no longer deny that policing often increases violence and harm," De Matos added.

At a sum of $1.076 billion, the Toronto police budget is the single largest expense in the city's $13.95 billion proposed budget for 2021.

Police say they will deliver a 'reformed' service

The proposed figure represents a zero per cent increase over the force's 2020 budget, marking the first time in several years that Toronto police have not requested a funding increase.

"This year, we're committed to doing more without asking for more," said police chief James Ramer in a statement earlier this month.

Chris Young/The Canadian Press

"Torontonians want to see a reformed, efficient service, and we intend to deliver on that regardless of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic."

The City of Toronto has also announced plans for a pilot project that would stop police from responding to certain non-emergency mental health calls in select areas of the city.

Josh Matlow (Ward 12, Toronto-St, Paul's), the Toronto city councillor who spearheaded a failed proposal last year to cut the police budget by 10 per cent, said initiatives like the pilot project and the first-ever public release of a line-by-line police budget indicate that change is happening.

"I think there's an enormous amount of work to do, but I do believe that we're making progress," Matlow said in an interview.

Matlow went on to say a 50 per cent reduction is unrealistic since much of the 2021 budget is guaranteed in collective agreements that run for several more years.

"If we're not pragmatic about this and we don't do it responsibly, we're not going to make the changes that I think need to be made," he said.

While Kinsman acknowledged that a 50 per cent budget cut is unlikely, he predicted that pressure and calls for reform will continue.

"If they don't listen to the community in the context of city council meetings and hearings, they will be hearing from us in more powerful ways when people mobilize once again in the streets," he said.

Toronto's 2021 budget will go to city council for approval on Feb. 18.

DEATH THREATS OVER ENDING BIG OIL ADS

Regina city councillors backtrack on controversial fossil fuel sponsorship motion

IF THIS IS CONTROVERSIAL WAIT TILL THEY REALLY HAVE TO DO SOMETHING


Mon., January 25, 2021, 

Some Regina city councillors who originally supported a motion that would prevent fossil fuel companies from advertising or buying naming rights for city property have announced they're backing down.

The motion — introduced by Ward 6 councillor Dan LeBlanc at an executive committee meeting last week — would have meant companies like Federated Co-operatives Limited could not have their logos displayed on city property.

"Sponsorships are associative in nature and therefore alignment with predetermined city values is necessary," LeBlanc told the executive committee. "I think that's the very reason why we don't want sex, drugs, and rock and roll advertised on our buildings."

LeBlanc is now withdrawing support from his own motion. The move came after several councillors who originally voted for the motion — including Ward 8 councillor Shanon Zachidniak, Ward 9 councillor Jason Mancinelli and Ward 10 councillor Landon Mohl — publicly announced they were withdrawing their support.

City of Regina/Website

Mayor Sandra Masters and councillors Lori Bresciani, Terina Shaw and John Findura voted against the motion originally. Councillors Bob Hawkins, Andrew Stevens and Cheryl Stadnichuk voted for the motion, along with LeBlanc, Zachidniak, Mancinelli and Mohl.

"I acknowledge that the tone set by the amendment was counterproductive," Zachidniak said in a Facebook post late last week. "When this was introduced at the meeting, I should have realized that this was not the appropriate approach and I apologize."

Numerous reasons for withdrawal: LeBlanc

LeBlanc said Monday that he withdrew his support not only because of the issue fracturing unity on council, but also because he heard from many residents.

"I heard from a lot of people who said 'I'm all about sustainability, but this is too much too soon,'" LeBlanc said. "I think I heard ... they are nervous about any one big step. I think what that means is many concrete steps going forward."

Another reason LeBlanc cited was he and some of his fellow councillors who supported the motion receiving messages threatening physical harm.

"Frankly my view is it ought to take a lot for councillors to be risking physical violence to their families to continue with sustainability motions," he said. "I'm not interested in folks getting hurt because of that."

Motion created ripples in other levels of government

The motion drew the ire of Premier Scott Moe, who called it "absurd" in a news release last week. He said his government would "seriously consider the future of sponsorships to the City of Regina from provincial energy companies like SaskEnergy and SaskPower," and threatened to claw back millions of dollars the city normally gets from people's power and energy bills.

Asked for comment about the councillors' change of mind, a spokesperson for Moe said Monday that he would have no further comment until the motion is formally addressed by city council during its regular meeting on Wednesday. It's expected an amendment will be added to the motion to remove the ban on sponsorship from fossil fuel producers.

LeBlanc, meanwhile, said he is hopeful this issue widens the discussion on sustainability.

"It's been very good to see people's democratic voice come out when they're opposed to something," he said. "I hope we'll hear from them equally if we're doing things on sustainability that they're in favour of."

SEE

University of Regina professor defends City executive committee’s fossil fuel motion

University of Regina professor defends City executive committee’s fossil fuel motion

By Jonathan Guignard Global News
Posted January 23, 2021 

Emily Eaton, University of Regina associate professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, is defending members of the executive committee and the motion surrounding fossil fuels and advertisements. Michael Bell / The Canadian Press

An associate professor at the University of Regina is defending the members of the executive committee who voted in favour of a motion that would prevent businesses who sell or produce fossil fuel products from advertising or sponsoring with the City of Regina.

Under the Sponsorship, Naming Rights & Advertising Policy, Ward 6 Coun. Daniel LeBlanc proposed an amendment that would put fossil fuels in the same light as tobacco, cannabis, weapons and sexual services when it comes to advertising and sponsorships.

It was backed by seven of 11 members at Wednesday’s meeting, but still needs to be approved by city council at its next meeting on Jan. 27.

READ MORE: Citizens ‘outraged’ over motion banning fossil fuel advertisements: Regina mayor

“They are continuing on with the mandate from the old council, which is to transition the city to 100 per cent renewable sources of electricity and power citywide by the year 2050,” said Emily Eaton, U of R associate professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies.

“We have been given a 30-year warning that we are going to be phasing out fossil fuels. We don’t need to be finding space within our city assets and events to promote an industry that, by design, we are moving away from.”

1:47 Survey shows support for renewable energy in Regina – Sep 24, 2020

Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe called the proposed change “absurd” and a “hypocritical attack on the hardworking workers and employers that fuel Saskatchewan’s economy.”

“The premier has always wanted to be seen as defending the interests of the oil and gas industry,” Eaton said. “I think that this was an easy target for him.”

READ MORE: Scott Moe ‘disappointed’ with Joe Biden’s plan to cancel Keystone XL pipeline

Moe wasn’t alone in his disappointment as many others shared their concerns with the executive committee’s decision.

Regina Mayor Sandra Masters was one of four who voted against the motion. Councillors John Findura, Lori Bresciani and Terina Shaw also sided against it.

University of Regina professor defends executive committee’s fossil fuel motion | Globalnews.ca

Earth is losing ice faster today than in the 

mid-1990s, study suggests

FILE PHOTO: Floating ice is seen during the expedition of the 

The Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise ship at the Arctic Ocean

Yereth Rosen
Mon., January 25, 2021, 2:01 a.m.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Earth’s ice is melting faster today than in the mid-1990s, new research suggests, as climate change nudges global temperatures ever higher.

Altogether, an estimated 28 trillion metric tons of ice have melted away from the world’s sea ice, ice sheets and glaciers since the mid-1990s. Annually, the melt rate is now about 57 percent faster than it was three decades ago, scientists report in a study published Monday in the journal The Cryosphere.


“It was a surprise to see such a large increase in just 30 years,” said co-author Thomas Slater, a glaciologist at Leeds University in Britain.

While the situation is clear to those depending on mountain glaciers for drinking water, or relying on winter sea ice to protect coastal homes from storms, the world’s ice melt has begun to grab attention far from frozen regions, Slater noted.

Aside from being captivated by the beauty of polar regions, “people do recognize that, although the ice is far away, the effects of the melting will be felt by them,” he said.

The melting of land ice – on Antarctica, Greenland and mountain glaciers – added enough water to the ocean during the three-decade time period to raise the average global sea level by 3.5 centimeters. Ice loss from mountain glaciers accounted for 22 percent of the annual ice loss totals, which is noteworthy considering it accounts for only about 1 percent of all land ice atop land, Slater said.

Across the Arctic, sea ice is also shrinking to new summertime lows. Last year saw the second-lowest sea ice extent in more than 40 years of satellite monitoring. As sea ice vanishes, it exposes dark water which absorbs solar radiation, rather than reflecting it back out of the atmosphere. This phenomenon, known as Arctic amplification, boosts regional temperatures even further.

The global atmospheric temperature has risen by about 1.1 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times. But in the Arctic, the warming rate has been more than twice the global average in the last 30 years.

Using 1994–2017 satellite data, site measurements and some computer simulations, the team of British scientists calculated that the world was losing an average of 0.8 trillion metric tons of ice per year in the 1990s, but about 1.2 trillion metric tons annually in recent years.

Calculating even an estimated ice loss total from the world’s glaciers, ice sheets and polar seas is “a really interesting approach, and one that’s actually quite needed,” said geologist Gabriel Wolken with the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. Wolken was a co-author on the 2020 Arctic Report Card released in December, but was not involved with the new study.

In Alaska, people are “keenly aware” of glacial ice loss, Wolken said. “You can see the changes with the human eye.”

Research scientist Julienne Stroeve of the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado noted the study had not included snow cover over land, "which also has a strong albedo feedback”, referring to a measure of how reflective a surface is.

The research also did not consider river or lake ice or permafrost, except to say that “these elements of the cryosphere have also experienced considerable change over recent decades.”

(Reporting by Yereth Rosen; Editing by Katy Daigle and Philippa Fletcher)

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World's ice is melting two-thirds faster than in the 1990s

Olivia Rudgard
Mon., January 25, 2021,

Algal bloom on Greenland - Jim McQuaid

The first ever satellite study of global ice loss found that rates have risen by 65 per cent over 23 years.

The University of Leeds study, published in the journal The Cryosphere, found that melting has accelerated within the past three decades, from 0.8 trillion tons per year in the 1990s to 1.3 trillion tons per year by 2017.

Two-thirds of the melting was caused by a warming atmosphere while the remaining third took place in the oceans.


While the 215,000 glaciers covered by the study, as well as Arctic sea ice, were primarily impacted by rising air temperatures, rising ocean temperatures caused melting in the Antarctic ice sheet. The Greenland ice sheet was affected by a mixture of both.

The melting of ice on land has pushed up global sea levels by 35mm, while the loss of sea ice means more heat is absorbed by the earth rather than being reflected away, accelerating warming in the Arctic.

Lead author Dr Thomas Slater, a research fellow at Leeds' centre for polar observation and modelling, said: "Although every region we studied lost ice, losses from the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets have accelerated the most.

"The ice sheets are now following the worst-case climate warming scenarios set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Sea-level rise on this scale will have very serious impacts on coastal communities this century."

A separate study in the journal Nature Communications, also from Leeds University, found that minerals blown onto the Greenland ice sheet fuel faster melting through darkening the surface causing more heat absorption.

Phosphorus blown onto the sheet from local rock outcrops as part of the mineral hydroxylapatite fuels the algae, which has covered a large swathe of the sheet now known as the "Dark Zone".

Co-author Jim McQuaid, of Leeds' school of earth and environment, said: "As dryland areas in northerly latitudes become even drier under climate change, we can expect to see more dust transported and deposited on the Greenland Ice Sheet, further fuelling algal blooms."

Guatemalan Maya families fear relatives among Mexican massacre victims

By Sofia Menchu 

© Reuters/LUIS ECHEVERRIA Members of Guatemalan Maya families, who feared their relatives were among 19 bodies found shot and burnt at the weekend in a remote part of northern Mexico, arrive to the Faculty of Medicine for DNA samples to help in the identification, in Guatemala City

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemalan Maya families said on Monday they feared relatives were among bodies found over the weekend in a remote part of northern Mexico along a route popular with migrant smugglers heading towards the U.S. border.

© Reuters/LUIS ECHEVERRIA Members of Guatemalan Maya families, who feared their relatives were among 19 bodies found shot and burnt at the weekend in a remote part of northern Mexico, arrive at the Faculty of Medicine for DNA samples to help in the identification, in Guatemala City

After receiving a tip off in the border state of Tamaulipas in northern Mexico, Mexican authorities recovered 19 bodies, many of which had gunshot wounds and were badly charred. So far, the dead have not been identified.

© Reuters/LUIS ECHEVERRIA Members of Guatemalan Maya families, who feared their relatives were among 19 bodies found shot and burnt at the weekend in a remote part of northern Mexico, arrive to the Faculty of Medicine for DNA samples to help in the identification, in Guatemala City

Evaristo Agustin was among some 30 indigenous men and women who traveled to the foreign ministry in Guatemala City from distant highland provinces on Monday after word spread their relatives may be among the deceased.

The group provided officials with DNA samples to help with identification.

Agustin was looking for his 22-year-old brother-in-law.

"We heard about it from people already in the United States, family members and neighbors, who said our relatives were part of this group," Agustin said, accompanied by women dressed in traditional yellow, blue and pink woven blouses and woolen skirts.

© Reuters/LUIS ECHEVERRIA Member of Guatemalan Maya families, who feared their relatives were among 19 bodies found shot and burnt at the weekend in a remote part of northern Mexico, arrive to the Faculty of Medicine for DNA samples to help in the identification, in Guatemala City

If confirmed that the victims were migrants, the attack would be among the worst atrocities in recent years against Central Americans in Mexico.

Migration has been on the rise from the region in recent months as families flee the devastation of two severe hurricanes and the economic damage from coronavirus.

The Guatemalan foreign ministry said in a statement it was working with Mexico to determine if any of its citizens were among the victims. Tamaulipas state prosecutor's office said the case was being investigated

.

© Reuters/LUIS ECHEVERRIA Members of Guatemalan Maya families, who feared their relatives were among 19 bodies found shot and burnt at the weekend in a remote part of northern Mexico, arrive at the Faculty of Medicine for DNA samples to help in the identification, in Guatemala City

A Twitter account for Guatemala's Congress shared a statement later on Monday saying lawmakers "mourned the tragic death of our migrant brothers from San Marcos," without offering more details.


DNA samples will be compared with samples taken from the bodies by the prosecutor's office in Tamaulipas. The prosecutor's office said the victims included 16 men and a woman. They were unable to determine the gender of two others.

Mario Ernesto Galvez, a Guatemalan lawmaker, said 13 victims were from his mountainous San Marcos province, listing their names in a statement.

"I only feel pain and sadness," said Ramiro Coronado, who feared for his 31-year-old nephew.

"It was the first time he'd tried to travel to the United States to improve his life and that of his family. He's leaving behind a wife and two children."

(Reporting by Sofia Menchu in Guatemala City; Additional reporting by Lizbeth Diaz in Mexico City; Writing by Stefanie Eschenbacher and; Editing by Aurora Ellis, Frank Jack Daniel and Michael Perry)

Goade becomes first Native American to win Caldecott Medal

NEW YORK — Illustrator Michaela Goade became the first Native American to win the prestigious Randolph Caldecott Medal for best children's picture story, cited for “We Are Water Protectors," a celebration of nature and condemnation of the “black snake” Dakota Access Pipeline.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

"I am really honoured and proud," the 30-year-old Goade told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “I think it's really important for young people and aspiring book makers and other creative people to see this.”

Tae Keller's chapter book “When You Trap a Tiger,” in which a young Korean-American explores her identity and her heritage through her grandmother's stories, won the John Newbery Medal for the outstanding children's work overall of 2020. Keller, who was raised in Hawaii and now lives in New York, drew upon Korean folklore and family history for “When You Trap a Tiger,” also named the year’s best Asian/Pacific American literature.

“The book really did grow from the recognition of my grandmother as this full person with so much life and so many stories to tell,” Keller, 27, told the AP. “I also did a great deal of research into Korean folklore and Korean history. There was a lot I heard growing up, but I had never had a fuller, deeper understanding of it all. I think that was the most rewarding part of writing this book.”

Jacqueline Woodson, whose previous honours include a National Book Award, won her third Coretta Scott King Award for best work by a Black author for “Before the Ever After.” And a tribute to Aretha Franklin, “R-E-S-P-E-C-T," received the King award for best illustration. The book was written by Carole Boston Weatherford, with images by Frank Morrison.

The awards were announced Monday by the American Library Association.

“We Are Water Protectors,” written by Carole Lindstrom, was conceived in response to the planned construction of the Dakota pipeline through Standing Rock Sioux territory. Goade, a member of the Tlingit and Haida Indian tribes in Southeast Alaska, was sent a copy of the manuscript through her agent in 2018 and responded immediately to its political message and message of water as a universal force.

“I love how it balanced lyricism and poetry with a powerful message,” says Goade, who used everything from watercolours to Gouache paint as she conjured moods ranging from the water's sensual blue waves to the harsh black of the snake/pipeline and the burning red of the snake's tongue.

The Newbery medal was established in 1922, the Caldecott in 1937. Goade, whose other books include “Encounter,” is the first Native American to win in either category. Her next book is the picture story “I Sang You Down from the Stars,” a collaboration with author Tasha Spillett-Sumner that comes out in April.

Goade's win was widely cheered on social media, including by Lindstrom, who tweeted to the illustrator: “I have no words to describe how proud of you I am. I love you so so much. You are so extremely talented and just an amazing person inside and out.” Dr. Debbie Reese, founder of the educational resource American Indians in Children’s Literature, noted that previous Caldecott awards had gone to stories about Natives that were created by non-Natives, citing Paul Goble's “The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses" and Gerald McDermott's “Arrow to the Sun.”

“What I see in this year’s winners is a respect for Native writing,” Reese told the AP. “We are so much more than what the mainstream understands, and slowly — and hopefully surely as we move into the future — editors and readers are coming to understand who we were, and who we are.”

Daniel Nayeri's “Everything Sad Is Untrue (a true story)" won the Michael L. Printz Award for best young adult novel, and Mildred D. Taylor, known for “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry” among other works, was given a “Literature Legacy” award.

Kekla Magoon, who has written or co-written “X: A Novel" and “How It Went Down,” won a lifetime achievement award for young adult books.

Ernesto Cisneros' “Efrén Divided" won the Pura Belpré prize for outstanding Latinx author. Raul Gonzalez's “Vamos! Let’s Go Eat” received the Belpré award for illustration. The Stonewall Book Award for best LGBT literature was given to Archaa Shrivastav for “We Are Little Feminists: Families."

____

On the Internet: ala.org.

Hillel Italie, The Associated Press

Why are bees disappearing so fast?

 Look in the mirror

© Provided by BGR bee populations

One of the most important organisms on the planet is seeing a steep decline in population.

In a new study published in Cell Press, scientists reveal a troubling statistic: 25% of all known bee species have disappeared in recent decades.

Bees are crucial due to their ability to pollinate all manner of plants, propping up the ecosystem and keeping humans fed at the same time.

It might be hard to wrap your head around this, but it’s true: Bees are one of the most important creatures on the planet. The flying insects perform a crucial duty in pollinating all manner of plants, allowing them to bear seeds as well as fruit (or vegetables, depending on the planet). If bees were to suddenly disappear from the planet, we (along with most other living organisms) would be in big, big trouble.

So, you can understand the alarm of scientists when they discovered that a full quarter of known bee species have completely disappeared since the 1990s. That discovery was published in a new study in Cell Press, and it’s absolutely frightening. The worst part? It’s probably mankind’s fault.

More from BGR
Humans are keeping bees awake at night

We found that after the 1990s, the number of collected bee species declines steeply such that approximately 25% fewer species were reported between 2006 and 2015 than before the 1990s. Although these trends must be interpreted cautiously given the heterogeneous nature of the dataset and potential biases in data collection and reporting, results suggest the need for swift actions to avoid further pollinator decline.

As Inverse reports, the study makes it abundantly clear that the diversity of bee species on the planet is shrinking, and shrinking rapidly. But as troubling as the figures are — and they are definitely troubling — the study supports what has already been observed in country-specific studies, including in the United States.

Honeybees have seen huge declines in population in recent years, and we’re beginning to understand all the ways in which human activity is affecting the important insects. Intentionally killing them off using pesticides is one avenue of destruction, but sometimes bees are caught in the crossfire and are mere casualties of the battle between humans and other pests.

Agriculture has grown to rely heavily on insecticides to protect crops from destruction, but while bees don’t threaten crops, spraying chemicals on a large scale can have a huge impact on other bugs, including flies and of course bees. Recent research revealed that many popular pesticides still in use in the United States actually mess with the minds of flies and bees, destroying their memory and throwing off their sleep/wake cycle.

In this new global study, it’s clear that many bee species have been completely wiped out, or have at least been whittled down so dramatically that there are now so few that they have evaded detection. The question now is why that has happened. The scientists in this study don’t attempt to answer that question, but it may be possible that some species are simply more vulnerable to certain chemicals or other human activity. In any case, it’s clear that more research is needed and that reversing bee decline by taking measures to protect them is warranted and vital to the survival of, well, pretty much everything.

Scientists Have Discovered a New Case of Rogue Pollution

A group of scientists have worked as a veritable atmospheric detective agency and dug into a new mystery of more ozone-damaging substances. Two years ago, they identified rogue sources of ozone-depleting chemicals. In a new study out Monday they found sources of new potentially damaging chemicals while highlighting just how crucial vigilance and early detection can be.

© Photo: Kevin Frayer (Getty Images) Smoke billows from a large steel plant.

While the newly identified chemicals are less damaging to the ozone layer than others, they have no known use, which means they’re doing damage for no reason. And the findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also show how far scientists have come in identifying the smallest traces of dangerous substances in the atmosphere and the value of developing an even more comprehensive monitoring network.

The U.S. Approves Permit for the 'Proving Ground for the Future of Wave Energy'

Since 1978, a handful of sites scattered around the world have been used to measure trace gases in the atmosphere. For the current study, scientists looked at 14 sites that are part of or affiliated with the network, and are in operation from the frigid Arctic island of Svalbard to a site on the outskirts of densely populated Beijing. The observatories measure a host of gases from familiar ones like methane to ones with more unwieldy names and scientific abbreviations that nevertheless are vital to keep an eye on.

“We are monitoring many ‘known’ compounds, and are on the search for more hitherto unknown compounds,’ Martin Vollmer, the lead author on the new paper and researcher at the Swiss Federal Laboratories, said in an email. “We even built a new instrument, which can virtually scan the atmosphere for compounds, and take a ‘fingerprint’ or ‘DNA’ of the atmosphere.”

For the current study, scientists looked at hydrochlorofluorocarbons or more simply, HCFCs. The compounds can be used for a variety of purposes from cooling to solvents. There are a number of them, but scientists looked specifically at HCFC-132b, HCFC-133a, and HCFC-31 (don’t worry if you mix them up, there won’t be a quiz later). All three have no known use as an end product, but they are tied to the production of other chemical compounds.

While they’re reported on the ground by factories, the new study uses the network of monitors and models of global air circulation to track them from the top-down. The results show that the compounds started to appear in the atmosphere in the 1990s and have risen steadily since then.

The modeling allowed the researchers to pinpoint the biggest source to a few regions. HCFC-132b and HCFC-133a both predominantly came from eastern China, though from different regions. China was also the culprit in the earlier whodunit solved by the researchers. The researchers also found Europe was another likely source, but the concentrations in the atmosphere tied to the continent dropped off significantly in 2017 around the time a chemical plant in Lyon, France shut down.

These HCFCs aren’t as damaging as the chlorofluorocarbons—or CFCs—the researchers detected in their previous study. They do less damage to the ozone layer, and unlike some HCFCs, they don’t contribute to global warming. The relatively early detection of the chemicals also means scientists are measuring them in fractions of parts per trillion as opposed to parts per billion or million used to measure other ozone- and climate-wrecking chemicals.

Obviously, any type of pollution is bad, but the study does contain a kernel of good news given the relatively moderate impact the HCFCs have on the ozone layer and atmosphere. It shows the power of early detection and scientists maintaining vigilance. While more work will need to be done to pinpoint the exact source of the chemicals, the findings are another proof of concept for how top-down monitoring from satellites to air flasks taking samples around the world can be used to monitor dangerous compounds and gases in the atmosphere.

“This is like an important independent check,” Vollmer said, noting that it also points to the need to expand the network to fill in gaps in coverage.

In the case of these HCFCs with no known use, the work is invaluable to help clean up an extremely pointless form of pollution. As the world looks to draw down a number of emissions from CFCs to carbon dioxide to hydrofluorocarbons, this type of detective work will take on added importance to make sure countries are meeting their pledges and enforcing the regulations they put in place to do so.

Update, 1/25/21, 3:17 p.m.: This post has been updated with comments from Martin Vollmer.

Doug Ford calls on Trudeau to 'close down our borders'


Alicja Siekierska
Mon., January 25, 2021, 

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Ottawa to implement tougher border measures, including at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. July 30, 2020. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Ottawa to close borders to non-Canadian residents in an effort to stem the spread of new strains of COVID-19.

“Close down any travel coming into Canada outside residents of Canada or citizens of Canada. There’s no reason we need people coming in,” Ford said at a press conference on Monday.

“I can’t emphasize it enough – close down our borders and make sure anyone that’s coming in gets (mandatory testing).”

Ontario currently has a pilot program underway at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport that allows international travellers to be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival. Ford said Monday that the program, which is voluntary and free, has an average test positivity rate of 2.5 per cent.

“We need to tighten up the borders,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Monday the federal government is “actively considering tougher measures” given the emergence of new variants of COVID-19 that scientists believe to be more contagious. She pointed to Canada’s existing border measures, including a mandatory 14-day quarantine order for all international travellers, as an important measure in the fight against COVID-19. The government also introduced an interim order this month requiring all travellers coming to Canada to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72-hours of departure.

“Having said that, given the virulence of the virus in the world today, our government absolutely is looking seriously and carefully at measures to further guarantee the toughness of our border measures,” Freeland said.

One petition signed by various virologists, epidemiologists, doctors and public health officials warns that existing travel measures have not prevented the importation of new and potentially more contagious variants of COVID-19. The petition said that, in a number of cases, “their path into Canada remains unknown.”

Ford is the latest provincial leader to call for Ottawa to implement tougher measures at the Canadian border. Last week, Quebec Premier Francois Legault urged the federal government to ban non-essential flights to Canada over fears that travellers will bring new variants of COVID-19 back to the province.

Legault said last week that he was open to discussing what is classified as “essential”, but that flights to all-inclusive resorts do not belong on such a list.

"I feel like Quebecers are angry, I'm angry, to see that we're making an effort, and there are people who travel internationally for fun and who return here with the virus and clog our hospitals," he said.

The tougher border calls come as the airline industry continues to struggle in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. With traffic down by more than 90 per cent, Air Canada and WestJet have each slashed capacity and laid off more staff.

The National Airline Council of Canada, an industry group which represents Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat and Jazz Aviation, urged the government to consult with the sector before enacting measures to reduce travel.

“We want to work with government as a partner, as measures are being discussed, to assure effective implementation and avoid unintended consequences,” NACC president Mike McNaney said in a statement issued last week.

“The recently introduced pre-departure testing regime placed a great deal of strain on our industry as we sought to implement the new requirements in the span of one week, working with officials at a feverish pace to develop the necessary regulations and guidance material.”

Freeland reiterated on Monday that “the best measure of all is for people simply not to travel.”

“I can’t emphasize that too much,” she said. “Travelling is dangerous for you, it’s dangerous for your family and it’s dangerous for your community. Now is the time for all of us to stay home.”

With files from the Canadian Press

Alicja Siekierska is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow her on Twitter @alicjawithaj.

WAIT, WHAT?

Without Keystone XL, Canada set for record crude exports to the U.S.

Jeff Lagerquist
Mon., January 25, 2021

Record volumes of Canadian crude are expected to flow to American refineries in the years following Joe Biden’s decision to nix a long-awaited and controversial cross-border pipeline project. The all-but-certain death of Keystone XL is another blow to the battered oil patch, but experts predict the expansion of other lines will be enough to support strong U.S. demand for Canada’s heavy crude.

Biden revoked TC Energy’s (TRP.TO)(TRP) construction permit hours after taking office last week, ending a four-year reprieve for the project granted by his predecessor Donald Trump in 2017. Biden’s move makes good on a campaign trail promise to kill the project, and recalls a similar decision by President Barack Obama, who issued an executive order in 2015 to halt the pipeline’s construction.

Jackie Forrest, executive director of the ARC Energy Research Institute, said what appears to be the final pass of the 12-year-old Keystone XL political football is less important to the Canadian energy sector than strong underlying trends for U.S. demand and other pipeline expansions currently in the works.

“The U.S. Gulf Coast is very short of heavy crude. There has been a big fall off of Venezuelan and Mexican supply. They’re paying even more for heavy oil than they were ten years ago relative to light oil,” she said in an interview.

On the Canadian supply side, she said annual oil sands production growth is trending lower as more pipeline capacity is expected to come online. Several expansionary projects are underway, including Enbridge’s (ENB.TO)(ENB) Line 3, and of the government-owned Trans Mountain pipeline. The projects, which face their own opposition challenges, are slated for completion in late of 2021 and late 2022, respectively.

“Both of those seem like they’re going to occur. If they do, then there’s probably ample takeaway capacity for some time out of Western Canada. We also have 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) of partly-used crude-by-rail capacity right now,” said Forrest. “The thing that KXL would have offered is that direct connection to the Gulf Coast.”

Canada produces about five million bpd, and exports roughly 3.8 million of those to the United States, according to data from Natural Resources Canada. Canadian oil accounts for nearly half of America’s total oil imports.

Analysts expect U.S.-bound Canadian oil to rise to between 4.2 million and 4.4 million bpd over the next few years. According to Rystad Energy, pipeline expansions currently in progress will add more than 950,000 bpd of export capacity for Canadian producers before 2025.

Tudor Pickering Holt & Co. sees new pipeline capacity “drastically outpacing” new crude supply in Western Canada as producers in the region put off expansion plans due to high costs and low oil prices.

“KXL was not necessary,” the Texas-based investment bank wrote in a note to clients last week.

Rory Johnston, market economist and managing director at Price Street, has long-insisted that Canada needs just two out of three projects, between KXL, Line 3, and Trans Mountain, in order to effectively ease the pipeline congestion that has long-plagued Western Canadian oil.

“We could have a healthy egress situation with just Line 3 and TMX being built,” he said. “I think the feeling of loss from the Keystone XL expansion is going to be much greater than the actual economic consequences of the cancellation.”

Rachel Ziemba, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, said while crude imports to the U.S. from Canada remain down year-over-year, she sees weekly shipment figures pushing higher. She expects that trend to accelerate once the world’s largest economy begins to recover from the massive demand hit brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I wouldn’t treat the Keystone XL rejection as necessarily meaning the U.S. is trying to rid itself of Canadian oil,” she said.

Johnston agrees. He said it’s worth noting that the new U.S. administration has not made decisive announcements about other cross-border pipeline projects, which he sees as carrying less political symbolism than Keystone XL.

“If their intent was to create a general veto across all pipelines crossing the border, you would have seen more commentary on it by now,” he said.