US proposes a «controlled shutdown» of the Zaporiyia power plant to avoid risks

Daniel Stewart - Yesterday 

The White House has put forward a "controlled shutdown" of the Zaporiyia nuclear power plant, located in southern Ukraine and controlled by Russian troops, as the best option to avoid a possible atomic accident.

IAEA mission departs Vienna for the Zaporiyia plant in Ukraine

 - OIEA/DEAN CALMA© Provided by News 360

Coinciding with the dispatch to the area of a mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a spokesman for the US National Security Council, John Kirby, has recalled that Russia has "militarized" the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

"We continue to believe that a controlled shutdown of the reactors would be the safest and least dangerous option in the short term," said Kirby, who applauded the start of the international mission that is called to monitor the situation 'in situ'.

Kirby, who appeared at a press conference, also assessed the evolution of the military front, noting that the Ukrainian forces now have a "good chance" to regain ground, reports the portal Politico. On Monday, they announced the launch of a counteroffensive in the Kherson area.

Although the exact scope of these operations is not clear at the moment, the White House assumes that Russia has already had to move resources from eastern Ukraine to the south, fearing the loss of part of what it has conquered in recent months.

"From a strategic point of view, (the Ukrainian offensive) has already had an effect on Russian military capabilities inside Ukraine," he said.

UPS drivers are collapsing on the job and baking cookies on their dashboards as they work without AC in extreme heat as high as 150 degrees

gkay@insider.com (Grace Kay) - Yesterday 

A UPS driver keeps a towel on his head while driving along Broadway during warm weather on July 6, 2012 in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images© Provided by Business Insider

UPS drivers are reporting heat as high as 150 degrees in their vehicles without air conditioning.

Insider spoke with five drivers about what it's like to work in the summer heat.

A spokesperson previously told Insider the drivers are trained to work in hot weather.

Record-breaking summer heat is taking its toll on delivery drivers, and UPS drivers without air conditioning say their job is only getting more difficult.

In June, a 24-year-old UPS driver died on the job amid a heat wave in California. A month later, an Arizona homeowner shared a doorbell video of a UPS driver collapsing during triple-digit temperatures.

It's an issue drivers say they've struggled with for decades, but it's only getting worse.

A UPS spokesperson previously told Insider air conditioning would be ineffective in the vehicles, considering they "make frequent stops, which requires the engine to be turned off and the doors to be opened and closed, about 130 times a day on average."

Meanwhile, drivers are documenting extreme heat conditions in their vehicles by sharing photos of thermometers clocking 150 degrees and cooking steaks and baking cookies on their dashboards. Three drivers told Insider they haven't been able to handle metal equipment, like the shelving units in the back of the vehicle, without burning themselves.


UPS driver bakes cookies on dashboard. Courtesy of Anthony Rosario

© Courtesy of Anthony Rosario

"It's like a greenhouse in there," a Florida driver who has been with the company for nearly four decades told Insider. "You can feel yourself baking and unless you have places to stop along the way for air conditioning there is no relief, not until your shift ends 10 or maybe 14 hours later."

A UPS spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication, but told Insider earlier this month its workers are specially trained to deal with the heat.

"We never want our employees to continue working to the point that they risk their health or work in an unsafe manner," the spokesperson said.

Insider spoke with five drivers who alleged triple-digit temperatures in the delivery trucks, workers collapsing, and supervisors who discouraged employees from seeking medical care. The current drivers spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect their jobs, but their identities have been verified by Insider.
'Cool Solutions'

One Texas driver who has been with the company for over two decades told Insider she's suffered four heat-related injuries in the past two years, including one which left her in the hospital for two days and kept her out of work for weeks.


Heat reading for a UPS truck. Courtesy of Anthony Rosario

© Courtesy of Anthony Rosario

"It just comes over you. You try to drink as much water as you can but you're sweating faster than you can hydrate and then you start to feel poorly. Before you know it, you're about to throw up and you're having a hard time drinking fluids," she said of the last incident, which she said happened less than a month ago.

"My heart was racing and I was so dizzy I couldn't hold myself upright." she added.

UPS says it offers workers training on how to deal with extreme weather conditions, including heat waves, through a program called "Cool Solutions." But, five drivers told Insider the training leaves much to be desired.

"It's just common sense really," the Florida driver said. "They tell you to drink water and food that will keep you hydrated. They tell you to avoid caffeinated drinks or drinking alcohol the night before, to find a cool location for your lunch break — which isn't really possible on my route."

The training also encourages drivers to take more breaks during heat waves, but drivers say their performance can be called into question if they slow down.

"You can pull over and take a break, but they're going to ride you about the numbers later," the Texas driver said.

Three drivers told Insider they've either been told to avoid going to the emergency room or seen supervisors discourage employees from seeking medical care for injuries — an issue they attribute to performance concerns.

"If they can't get the drivers on the road, sometimes the supervisors have to take over their routes," a driver from Colorado said.

UPS provides workers with ice and fans, but several drivers said the ice machines are often broken or out of stock and getting the company to install a fan in the vehicle is even harder.

"They've started telling drivers they're out of parts for fans," Anthony Rosario, a New York union leader who has been with the company for 28 years, said. "Even when they do have one, it's just pushing hot air around," he added.
Drivers push for better conditions

"We have studied heat mitigation with our vehicles and integrated forced air systems with venting to create air flow around the driver and cargo areas," a UPS spokesperson previously said. "We optimize the roof of vehicles to minimize heat in the cargo area, alongside insulating the roof of the cab. We also offer fans to drivers upon request."


A UPS truck in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Robert Alexander/Getty Images

The issue of air conditioning in the vehicles is at the center of upcoming negotiations between the company and the UPS Teamsters union, as the contract is set to expire next summer. The union has said it plans to strike if its demands are not met in 2023 and has historically pushed for premium pay, pension, and benefits packages that allow drivers to make as much as over $130,000 a year.

Four drivers told Insider they're doubtful as to whether work conditions in the heat will ever change.

David Roy, who worked for UPS in Massachusetts for over 40 years before retiring last year, said he feels the union is "barking up the wrong tree."

"I don't know how these workers think they will stay competitive with other companies. It's hard work, but there's not many other places that offer that level of pay," Roy said, referencing Amazon and FedEx. "I always told myself there's better jobs, but there's also far worse ones."

ISRAEL
Health Ministry asks for public comment on medical cannabis

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH - Yesterday 

The Health Ministry has asked the public for its opinion on changing requirements for being allowed to purchase medical cannabis. The proposed change would replace licenses issued by a handful of physicians with prescriptions that could be given by any medical specialist working in a public health fund or hospital who has undergone appropriate training for it.

Seach medical cannabis farm© (photo credit: SEACH MEDICAL GROUP)

The transition has already been recommended by a committee headed by former ministry director-general Dr. Boaz Lev. After the public comments (by September 13), the change can be presented to the Knesset for official approval.

Some 114,000 Israelis are currently licensed for the right to purchase medical cannabis at pharmacies. Although cannabis is not defined as a drug, there is much evidence that it may relieve the suffering of patients with certain medical conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy and seizures, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis (as well as other neurological issues), muscle spasms, severe and chronic pain, and severe nausea or vomiting caused by cancer treatment.

However, today patients who need medical cannabis are required to obtain a license from the state. The process involves bureaucracy and dealing with a relatively limited number of doctors authorized to practice in the field. Many patients turn to private doctors and pay large sums to obtain a license.

After the work of the staff of the Lev Committee, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz asked for a comprehensive outline of a transition from licenses to prescriptions allowing any Israeli medical specialist doctor in public medicine to issue a prescription for medical cannabis. The outline is conditional on approval of the regulations in the Knesset.


Shai Avraham Sarid at the Seach medical cannabis farm (credit: 

SEACH MEDICAL GROUP)© Provided by The Jerusalem Post

The outline includes the regulation of operational and financial issues and also allows the health funds to approve licenses in the interim period.

Related video: HealthWatch: Study finds 37% fewer people poisoned by synthetic cannabis in states where drug is legal

Duration 0:55

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The outline and the relevant documents have been published for public comments to mishpatitjer@moh.gov.il until September 13. After that, the relevant comments will be incorporated in the final outline, which will then be submitted for approval by the health minister and forwarded to the Knesset for final consent.

Cannabis regulation in Israel

The regulation and responsibility for the topic are centralized and carried out by the ministry’s medical cannabis unit headed by Ran Ridnik. The four public health funds will be able to establish a set of approvals in which requests for prescriptions received from each specialist physician in his field of expertise will be examined.

The health funds will submit a request to collect a deductible, according to which an annual collection of NIS 360 will be made to existing patients for the approval of the prescription. A one-time annual fee of NIS 720 will be paid by a new patient for approval of a prescription and the specialist’s time. Existing patients with licenses will pay a fee of NIS 360 for approval.

The arrangements will take effect 180 days from the moment they are approved by the Knesset. In the interim, the health funds will be able to issue licenses to patients. Additional regulatory measures will be made to reduce the price of medical cannabis, creating a solution for the interim period, so that the accessibility of issuing licenses to patients is maintained and the HMOs can continue to operate the system of issuing licenses.

Fetterman calls on Biden to move toward decriminalizing marijuana ahead of Pennsylvania visit

Caroline Vakil - Yesterday

Pennsylvania Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman called on President Biden to deschedule marijuana, with a goal of ultimately decriminalizing the drug, ahead of Biden’s visit to the state next week.


Fetterman calls on Biden to move toward decriminalizing marijuana ahead of Pennsylvania visit© Provided by The Hill

Biden is expected to travel to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, two key swing states, on Labor Day ahead of the November midterms.

“It’s long past time that we finally decriminalize marijuana,” Fetterman said in a statement. “The president needs to use his executive authority to begin descheduling marijuana, I would love to see him do this prior to his visit to Pittsburgh. This is just common sense and Pennslyvanians overwhelmingly support decriminalizing marijuana.”

Fetterman also took a shot at his Republican opponent Mehmet Oz, who has spoken out against marijuana legalization.

“I don’t want to hear any bullshit coming out of Dr. Oz’s campaign trying to conflate decriminalizing marijuana with seriously harmful crime. Are we supposed to believe that neither he nor any members of his staff have ever used marijuana?” Fetterman said.

“As mayor of Braddock, I made it my mission to combat serious crime. I know firsthand what real crime looks like. Marijuana does not fit the bill. It’s time to end the hypocrisy on this issue once and for all.”

Related video: Fetterman returns to Senate campaign trail

Duration 1:09

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Rachel Tripp, senior communications adviser to Oz, said in a statement that “under John Fetterman’s watch, crime skyrocketed in Braddock,” adding that the Democrat wants to decriminalize all drugs.

“Pennsylvania is ready to elect a leader who will restore safety and security to the commonwealth — Dr. Mehmet Oz,” Tripp said.

Marijuana is a Schedule 1 drug and is illegal at the federal level, though a number of states have approved its use either for medical use, recreational use or both.

A spokesperson for Fetterman’s campaign previously said the Senate candidate would be pressing the president on the issue of decriminalizing marijuana while Biden was in the state.

During a White House briefing on Monday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about Fetterman’s statement and if the president determined how he wants to rethink the nation’s approach on marijuana.

“[T]he president supports leaving decisions regarding legalization for recreational use up to the states, rescheduling cannabis as a Schedule 2 drug so researchers can study its positive and negative impacts and at the federal level, he supports decriminalizing marijuana use and automatically expunging any prior criminal records,” Jean-Pierre said.

While Oz has been critical of marijuana use, he once expressed openness to the drug, saying in an interview two years ago that “it’s a lot safer than alcohol. It’s safer than narcotics. It ought to be used more widely and we can’t even study it that easily because of the way it’s regulated,” according to Marijuana Moment.

Fetterman has led Oz in recent polling and the nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report recently shifted its rating of the Senate seat from “toss up” to “lean Democrat.”

High elevation monitoring kicks off in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park


The effect of climate change on high level lakes in the West Kootenay is theme of a new pilot study launched by Living Lakes Canada.

Called the High Elevation Monitoring Program, the goal of the study is to begin formulating and collecting baseline data in order to understand how the chemical and biological components of the lakes are functioning.

“Once this baseline is established, we can continue to monitor over time and understand how chemical and biological components in the lakes are responding to climate change,” said Heather Shaw, Living Lakes Canada program manager, in a press release.

Living Lakes Canada is a national non-profit organization based in B.C.’s Columbia Basin concerned with the long-term protection of Canada’s freshwater.

Earlier this month the High Elevation program was launched in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park, with “loggers” installed in Sapphire Lakes, Tanal Lake and Upper Joker Lake to track the changes in water levels.

Additionally, temperature and light loggers have been installed in Upper Joker Lake.

“We understand that high elevation ecosystems are especially sensitive to climate change. They are also challenging to monitor,” Shaw explained. “We don’t currently have a good understanding of the climate impacts on water quantity and quality in these areas.”

People can watch the on-site program update from Sapphire Lakes at https://youtu.be/GjlsW_6K1-k

Inventory this

People in Nelson can help with the pilot project as well.

For those who venture into Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park Living Lakes Canada is asking people to help create an inventory of plant and animal species within the park boundaries.

This data collection is made easy thanks to the popular and easy-to-use citizen science application, iNaturalist, noted Shaw.

The application can be downloaded to a cell phone before heading to the backcountry, with a search for “Kokanee Glacier — High Elevation Monitoring” project.

Picture this

For those who visit Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park, Living Lakes is asking people to take photos of any flora and fauna using the iNaturalist app.

“When back in cell service, you can then upload your pictures and observations to the project where they will be stored and reviewed by scientists, the iNaturalist community, and Living Lakes Canada employees,” said Shaw.

- For more information on the High Elevation Monitoring Program visit:

livinglakescanada.ca/project/high-elevation-monitoring-program.

- For more information on Living Lakes Canada visit:

https://livinglakescanada.ca/.

Timothy Schafer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Nelson Daily

‘Trying to save our fish’: B.C. First Nations appeal a court ruling in an attempt to restore the Nechako River

Seventy years ago, B.C. approved a hydroelectric project that would irreversibly alter an entire watershed and forever change the lives of First Nations living along the Nechako River.

The Kenney dam was built in the early 1950s to provide power to an aluminum smelter on the coast, owned by the Aluminum Company of Canada, now Rio Tinto Alcan. The provincial government at the time openly and actively courted the development through an aptly named piece of legislation called, An Act to Promote the Industrial Development of the Province.

Permits were issued, First Nations communities removed, construction completed and 890 square kilometres flooded to create the reservoir, reducing the natural flow of the Nechako River by 60 to 70 per cent.

Decades later, the Saik’uz and Stellat’en First Nations took Rio Tinto Alcan and the province to court. They wanted to force the company to restore some of the river’s flow and salvage what little remains of vital habitat for endangered white sturgeon and struggling salmon populations

After three years of hearings, their case was dismissed by the B.C. Supreme Court in January — but it paved the way for an appeal process. The judge affirmed the two nations inhabited the land prior to colonization and therefore Saik’uz and Stellat’en members have a fundamental “right to fish the Nechako watershed for food, social and ceremonial purposes.” The court also confirmed the dam and ongoing provincial regulation of water levels continues to have a direct and negative impact on fish populations. Their appeal was filed in late July.

“We’re not going to quit,” former Saik’uz elected chief and current councillor Jackie Thomas told The Narwhal in an interview. She explained how the fish provide both food security and spiritual and cultural connections. “We’ve taken a spiritual blow for 100 years here in B.C. … I will use every means necessary for my community to get what we need.”

Thomas, now a grandmother, is one of the named plaintiffs on the case which first went to trial in 2019.

“Truthfully, I think I’m the third generation on this file,” she said. “Before me, there was my uncle and before him, that was my grandma.”

It’s clear the government has a legal obligation to protect First Nations’ right to fish, Darwin Hanna, founding partner at Callison and Hanna law firm and member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation, told The Narwhal. The challenge, he said, is not so much agreeing the dam has an ongoing impact, it’s getting the government to do something about it.

“How do you provide for restitution and reconciliation for the interference with the fishery, the waterways and interference of Rights and Title?” Hanna said in an interview. “I think it’s going to require some real political shifting of how they approach these cases because really it’s a history of denial, denial, denial.”

While B.C. Supreme Court Justice Nigel P. Kent rejected the nations’ case, he acknowledged the “bleak and intractable” legacy of colonization, which includes B.C.’s approval of the project. The appeal centres on how the court ruling leaves Saik’uz and Stellat’en with no recourse, despite Kent agreeing with the nations on all the facts at hand.

“After 189 days of trial … the [nations] proved that the diversion of waters from the Nechako by Alcan is causing serious decline of the fisheries their Indigenous communities have relied on since time immemorial — to the near extirpation of sturgeon, and, with salmon now a ‘mere shadow of its former abundance’,” the opening statement of the appeal notes. “The identity, culture and way of life of the appellants — the very core of what … the Constitution promises to protect — are bound up and lost in the decline of the fisheries.”

According to the nations’ legal counsel, Justice Kent made a legal error by not requiring the province to order Rio Tinto to put more water back into the river, despite B.C.’s constitutional obligation to protect the nations’ rights. Kent said that if anyone is liable, it’s the Crown, but noted that Rio Tinto is operating under provincial permits so the court couldn’t hold the company responsible for the damage. In the same breath, he said that because the court couldn’t tell the company what to do, it was unable to make a “declaration” ordering the province to amend the permits.

“This reasoning is internally contradictory,” the appeal notes, pointing to the landmark 2021 Blueberry River First Nation decision on Treaty Rights which included a “declaration that the province may not continue to authorize activities that unjustifiably infringe the treaty right or breach the Crown’s duties.”

That kind of declaration, the appeal argues, can also be made for Sai’kuz and Stellat’en.

Hanna said this case could chart a path forward for “all First Nations” that have been similarly impacted by past development, noting the underlying question is how to “decolonize these industrial complexes.”

“This case is precedent setting, and so there’s a lot riding on it,” he said.

Notably, the two neighbouring nations are not asking the courts to destroy the dam or restore the river to its original state. Instead, they hope to come to an arrangement in which Rio Tinto would work with the province to establish a flow regime that helps restore natural ecological functions.

To this end, Saik’uz and Stellat’en asked the courts for an injunction against Rio Tinto to ensure the company regulates the flow of water in a way that does not continue to impact downstream fisheries.

The hydroelectric facility reverses the natural direction of the water, sending it west via a 16 kilometre tunnel through the Coast Mountains to Kemano, where it plunges over a 790 metre precipice to waiting turbines. The Kemano power station produces more electricity than Rio Tinto needs to operate its smelter and the company sells its surplus to BC Hydro.

“Why can’t they just put that difference back down this side of the mountain?” Thomas asked.

Rio Tinto told The Narwhal the Kemano power station has a capacity of 896 megawatts, around 80 per cent of which is used to power the smelter. BC Hydro data on its agreements with independent power producers notes Kemano produces a total of 3,307 gigawatt hours annually, which means it sells around 660,000 megawatt hours to the public utility — roughly the annual amount of energy consumed by around 60,000 households.

Neither BC Hydro nor Rio Tinto would disclose the dollar value of this surplus energy, which the public utility buys through an electricity purchase agreement, established in 2007 and locked in until 2034. According to provincial documents accessed through open information policy, BC Hydro pays the company between $64 and $88 per megawatt hour. A conservative calculation puts the revenue Rio Tinto earns from selling the electricity at upwards of $45 million per year.

For Thomas, it’s not about the money, it’s about the fish.

“Our ecosystem has value, our people have value. It’s not always about dollars and cents,” she said. “We’re not wealthy, we’re not well-off people. And we still depend on this hunting and fishing and gathering — that’s what supplements us financially.”

Saik’uz average income is less than half the provincial average, according to 2016 census data. Thomas said the community had to fundraise through the likes of bottle drives and bake sales to cover travel expenses for members who wanted to attend the court hearings.

There is an urgent need to “start doing some remediation work now, before we actually extirpate the last three of the six fish stocks that we have left,” she explained.

“Basically, that’s what it is: trying to save our fish.”

In a statement provided to The Narwhal, Rio Tinto noted it contributed $13 million to white sturgeon conservation, through a recovery initiative bringing together federal and provincial biologists, First Nations, industry experts, local and municipal governments and more. The company also said it committed $50 million to a fund set up in the late 1990s as part of an agreement between Rio Tinto and the province.

“Improving the health of the Nechako River is a goal we all share and we are actively engaged with First Nations communities on this priority,” a Rio Tinto spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement. “We will continue to collaborate with First Nations, governments and other stakeholders to review all aspects of the Nechako Reservoir management process.”

But Thomas said support from the company has never come easy.

“They have not willingly done the right thing — they’ve always had to be forced,” she said. “This company’s really good at dividing and conquering. That’s why we can’t get this water over the line, getting more water for our river and our sturgeon, our salmon. Those are the two main ones right now but the whole ecosystem is needing rehabilitation.”

“We understand it’s not going to be the same river because it’s been through 70 years of friggin’ change,” she added.

None

Matt Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Narwhal

Fossil fuels causing cost-of-living crisis: climate expert

AFP - 

The cost-of-living crisis pushing millions of people towards poverty in Europe is driven by fossil fuels, according to a leading Earth systems scientist, who has warned that global heating risks causing runaway climate change.


Rockstrom says spiralling inflation is a result of government failures to decarbonise their economies

© AXEL SCHMIDT

Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and co-author of the new book Earth For All, said that spiralling inflation was in large measure a result of decades of government failures to decarbonise their economies.

"I find it very disturbing that our political leaders in Europe are unable to communicate that high living costs right now are caused by higher prices on fossil fuels," he told AFP at the book's launch on Tuesday.

"So this is fossil fuel-driven, supply-driven inflation. If 20 years ago you invested in solar (panels) or had a share in a wind farm, you're not affected today.

"The only reason why we have this crisis now is that we've had 30 years of underinvestment in preparing towards this turbulent phase which we knew would be coming," said Rockstrom.

"We've been saying since 1990 that we need to phase out the fossil fuel-driven economy towards a renewable-driven economy. And now here we are -- we're now hitting the wall."

European energy prices soared to new records last week ahead of what many analysts expect to be a challenging winter as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to disrupt oil and gas supplies.

The year-ahead contract for German electricity reached 995 euros ($995) per megawatt hour, while the French equivalent surged past 1,100 euros -- a more than tenfold increase in both countries from last year.

In Britain, energy regulator Ofgem said it would increase the electricity and gas price cap almost twofold from October 1 to an average £3,549 ($4,197) per year.

Rockstrom, who helped pioneer the concept of planetary boundaries -- thresholds of pollution or warming within which humanity can thrive -- said he hoped the current energy price crisis would be "communicated as another nail in the coffin" for oil, gas and coal.

"This should accelerate our transition towards renewable energy systems," he said.

- 'Giant changes required' -

Rockstrom has spent two years working on Earth For All -- a guide to help humans survive climate change -- with several of the authors of The Limits to Growth.

Written 50 years ago, that groundbreaking work warned that the development of civilisation could not go on indefinitely with no limit to resource consumption.

The new book outlines two growth trajectories this century.

The first -- "Too Little, Too Late" -- sees the economic orthodoxy of the last 40 years endure, leading to ever starker inequality as the Earth's average temperature rises by 2.5 degrees Celsius (36.5 degrees Farenheit) by 2100.

The second -- the "Great Leap" scenario -- sees unprecedented mobilisation of resources to produce five changes: eradicate poverty and inequality, empower women, transform the global food system towards more plant-based diets, and rapidly decarbonise energy.

In particular, the book says the International Monetary Fund must provide $1.0 trillion annually to poorer nations to create green jobs, and rich governments to cancel debt to low-income creditors while giving their own citizens a "universal basic dividend" to help share corporate windfalls.

Rockstrom said the tools are already available to make the Great Leap possible.

"(It) is to do with the current knowledge on all the current existing technologies and practices and policies. If we could put in place all the five turnarounds and scale them up very fast, that's the best outcome we can have."

- 'Urgency point' -

The project comes after another record-breaking summer that has seen unprecedented heatwaves and drought in Europe and China and devastating floods in Pakistan.

Rockstrom said the world had reached an "urgency point" as climate-linked disasters occur more frequently than predicted in climate models.

"Here we are -- at 1.1C (of warming now), the things that we thought would happen perhaps at 2C are happening much earlier and are hitting harder," he said.

Rockstrom was recently involved in a paper studying the "climate endgame" -- scenarios such as the complete melting of the Greenland ice sheet or heating "feedback loops", which are deemed by scientists to be extremely unlikely and, he believes, therefore understudied.

He explained the possibility of "self-amplified warming", which is when the Earth itself is triggered into producing emissions from carbon stored in forests and methane in permafrost.

"There is a risk of rolling towards a worst-case scenario, not because we are ploughing in more carbon dioxide and greenhouse gasses from (manmade) sourcing but that the Earth system itself starts emitting these greenhouse gasses."

Rockstrom said scientists needed to "open up a much broader palette of scenarios" in climate models that could incorporate the kind of low-probability, high-impact events that could lead to runaway warming.

As to whether governments were finally ready to take the kind of system-changing action needed to avoid climate meltdown, Rockstrom said that he was "actually quite pessimistic".

"If you asked me three years ago, I would have said I was optimistic -- we saw a post-Paris momentum and more policies coming into play and businesses stepping on board," he said.

"Now with the post-Covid meltdown in public trust and the rise of populism ... I cannot see that we are really ready to implement all these giant leaps.

"That's why timing is really important. We need to bring back the debate and we have to have a conversation about the urgency of action. But is it a challenge? Definitely."

pg/mh/gil

CHARLEBOIS: Canadian brewers having a hard time staying afloat
Dr. Sylvain Charlebois - Yesterday 

Total beer sales have actually dropped 7.3% compared to last year, according to a report obtained by Beer Canada.© Provided by Toronto Sun

When listening to reports about people going out and enjoying the weather, one can only assume that everything is back to normal. Not quite, especially for the beer industry in Canada. In fact, total beer sales have actually dropped 7.3% compared to last year, according to a report obtained by Beer Canada.

Total beer sales are up in Newfoundland and Labrador by a whopping 20.1%. But in other provinces, beer sales for both retail and service have dropped significantly. The largest drop so far this year has been in the province of Quebec. Beer sales have dropped 13.3% compared to last year. In Saskatchewan, sales have dropped by 12.6% and in Alberta, by 10.7%. All areas are in the red, except for the Territories. In the beer business, a simple -1% is massive, so the -3.3% in Ontario is considered a disaster. These drops are in addition to a disastrous 2021 when lockdowns were the norm to combat COVID. When things started to open earlier this year, this is not the scenario the beer industry was expecting — far from it.

In volume, beer sales are 8.3% below pre-pandemic levels. Beer sales have dropped for a variety of reasons. Firstly, our labour shortage is clearly a contributing factor. Restaurants are either closing earlier, or not opening some days during the week. Many locations are now opening only five days versus seven days as before. Many locations will close at 10 p.m. versus 12 a.m. or 2 a.m. Again, many operators cannot get the staff.

Public events are back, but we have had fewer of them across the country. And attendance in many cases have dropped significantly from pre-COVID standards. It will take a while before people get comfortable with our new post-COVID reality. We’re not sure what is in store for us this fall, pandemic-wise, but we are expecting people to behave with extreme caution, as they should.

As for consumers, they appear to be in a different place now. Home consumption beer sales this year so far have returned to pre-pandemic levels. But sales for beer consumed at restaurants and events remain 35% to 40% below pre-pandemic levels. Over the last three years or so, many of us were drawn instead to wine, spirits, and other products. Seltzer and ready-to-drink alternatives are also becoming more popular. In a nutshell, Canada went from being an on-premises beer drinking country to a more at-home wine and spirits drinking market. Many of us have tried new products and have experimented with new tastes and brands. These experiences have drawn many away from beer. Canadians are still drinking beer, but the numbers are telling us the percentage of beer drinkers has dropped significantly.

The other factor of course is inflation. Alcohol is obviously discretionary for consumers, and many are cutting back expenses these days to cope with skyrocketing food prices. Beer prices have also risen by 10% to 15% in the last 12 months, and will likely rise even more next year. In 2017, Ottawa introduced an indexation formula to raise taxes on beer, based on our consumer price index (CPI). With this year’s CPI, the deferral portion of taxes on beer could rise by up to 7% in April 2023, which is a record. Some provinces have expressed some sympathy by not raising their own tax portion on alcohol products, but not Ottawa. At least, not yet.

In essence, working from home changes our behaviours and food choices. The beer situation is one good example of how the food industry is being affected by a more home-based food market. People will drink beer at home, but going to events, and seeing friends at different locations will get people to consume more, but differently. Continuing labour issues and market changes will entice the food industry to adjust and seek new opportunities, for better or worse.

In the meantime, the year 2022 was to be a comeback year for the beer industry. Looks like it may need to wait a little longer for that to happen.

— Sylvain Charlebois is senior director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and a former member of the University of Regina faculty.

New study offers sobering info on alcohol and health risks

The boundaries of safe drinking have been redrawn.

Liz Braun - TORONTO SUN - TODAY

New study offers sobering info on alcohol and health risks© Provided by Toronto Sun

When it comes to drinking alcohol, is would seem less is better.

A report from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) reveals that health risks skyrocket if you consume six or more alcoholic drinks a week — and those risks include seven types of cancer as well as heart disease and cirrhosis.

Two drinks a week (or fewer) is a low-risk undertaking.

Between three and six carries moderate risk; risk level is high, “for those who consume above six standard drinks per week, with increasingly higher levels of risk with every additional drink,” according to the report.

The risks of health harms for women increase more steeply than for men once you go above low levels (two drinks a week) of consumption.

The report states that women experience more risk of damage or disease, “such as liver disease, at lower levels of alcohol consumption than do males.

“In general, males are more likely to develop alcohol use disorders, but females are more likely to develop organ and other bodily damage from drinking alcohol,” the report says.

The new guidelines, based on global research, are aimed at heightened awareness.

Many people are apparently unaware of just how dangerous alcohol is to health.

The fact that alcohol is a known carcinogen and causes breast, colon, mouth, rectum and a few other hideous cancers is apparently not a well-known fact in Canada.

Drinking contributes to heart disease and stroke. Past reports that it might protect against heart disease no longer stand up — drinking more than a little is a risk factor for heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease.

And alcohol is implicated in dementia, sexually transmitted diseases and a whole host of other negative outcomes.

The study reports, “Disproportionately more injuries, violence and deaths result from men’s drinking,” which opens a whole subset of other health problems such as drunk driving, intimate partner violence, sexual violence and all manner of alcohol-fuelled aggressive behaviour.

The last time alcohol guidelines were laid out was 2011 and newer research made it clear it was time to issue those guidelines again.

Researchers say alcohol should carry the same information and health warnings that food labels provide.

“A direct consequence of the current project is a recommendation for Health Canada to require, through regulation, the mandatory labelling of all alcoholic beverages to list the number of standard drinks in a container, the Guidance on Alcohol and Health, health warnings and nutrition information,” the report says.

Researchers state that a cultural shift around drinking is required: “it is necessary to promote the message that it is okay not to drink alcohol.”

So, perhaps no more buck-a-beer type slogans, folks.

On the upside, any reduction in drinking alcohol is beneficial. Cutting back can start to reverse the damage from alcohol-related chronic disease.

CANADA

Child-benefits Spending Reduces for Lower-income Families: study

The federal government has shifted the share of overall spending on child benefits away from lower-income families to middle and upper-income families to an even greater degree than previously thought, finds a new study published today by the Fraser Institute.

The Fraser Institute is an RIGHT WING independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization that studies effects of government policies. AND LIKE ITS COUNTERPART IN THE USA, THE CATO INSTITUTE, IT PROMOTES LESS GOVT REGULATION OF CORPORATIONS

“While the federal government often claims that child benefits go to Canadian families who need the money the most, the shift in overall spending tells a different story,” said Jason Clemens, executive vice-president of the Fraser Institute and co-author of Adjusting for the Canada Child Benefit’s Tax-Free Status.

In 2016, the federal government replaced two child-benefit programs with the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), which provides tax-free benefits to eligible families with children under the age of 18.

The study, based on data from Statistics Canada, measures the shifts in the share of child-benefit spending due to this change — although unlike previous analyses, this study accounts for the tax-free status of CCB payments (most other government income transfers are taxable).

Specifically, the elimination of the previous two programs and their replacement with the CCB — coupled with a recognition of the CCB’s tax-free status — results in the share of total child-benefit spending on families with incomes less than $60,000 declining from 42.9 percent under the previous two programs to 29.7 per cent.

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At the same time, the share of total child-benefit spending on families with incomes between $60,000 and $180,000 increased from 49.2 percent to 66.8 percent.

While the share of total child-benefit spending on families with incomes above $180,000 declined from 7.9 percent to 3.5 percent.

“At a time when Ottawa is running deficits with no end in sight, the CCB is yet another poorly targeted federal program,” Clemens said.

Jenna, a single mother, resident of Milton said that she was dependent on government support to take care of her child, but said that over time the amount received for child-benefits seems to have reduced.

“Especially for single mothers like me, the child-benefits should only be increasing rather than decreasing in real terms”, she said.

Shazia Nazir, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Milton Reporter, Milton Reporter

Harper Government Agreed In 2015 To “Forever Discharge” Catholic Church From Residential School Compensation

(ANNews) – In 2015, the Canadian government led by former prime minister Stephen Harper agreed to “forever discharge” the Catholic Church from its obligations under a $25-million settlement agreement for residential school survivors and agreed to pay the Church’s legal bills, according to documents obtained by The Canadian Press.

Through an access to information request, CP obtained a signed copy of the agreement, marking the first time it’s been publicized.

“That’s a very, very important set of records,” Ry Moran, an associate librarian at the University of Victoria and founding director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, told CP.

“Like all questions around accountability, the question is who made the decision? How was that decision made? Who ultimately signed off on this?”

Indigenous leaders and legal experts have previously questioned why the Canadian government gave up on an appeal of a 2015 Saskatchewan court decision that the Church would no longer have to pay its remaining obligations under the 2006 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.

Since the uncovering of thousands of suspected unmarked graves began in the summer of 2021, the Church and federal government have received renewed scrutiny.

The residential schools settlement obligated 48 Catholic entities in Canada to pay $79 million to survivors, which was divided into three parts, including a requirement that they make “best efforts” to raise $25 million for survivors.

The question was whether lawyers for the feds and Church had struck a deal freeing the Church from all its financial obligations in exchange for a $1.2-million payment, or whether that had applied only to a specific part of the settlement agreement.

Saskatchewan Justice Neil Gabrielson ruled that agreement covered all of the Church’s obligations, which allowed it to abandon its fundraising for survivors after raising just $4 million.

The documents obtained by CP show that a month after the July 2015 ruling, the feds had filed a “protective notice of appeal” while negotiating a final release agreement with the Catholic entities.

By October 2015, that final agreement had been signed by the deputy minister of the day for what was then known as the Department of Aboriginal and Northern Affairs.

“Canada does hereby remise, release and forever discharge the Catholic entities, its directors, officers, shareholders, agents, lawyers, and employees, of and from all manners of actions, causes of action, suits, debts, dues, accounts, bonds whatsoever against the releasees,” the document says.

“Canada further covenants and agrees not directly or indirectly to join, assist, aid, or act in concert in any manner whatsoever with any person or entity in making any financial claim or demand whatsoever against the releasees.”

The documents in question were released as part of more than 200 pages of briefing documents and court records prepared for Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller, who has committed to getting to the bottom of why the Church was released from its obligations.

Miller has floated the idea of reviewing his predecessor’s decision.

But the wording of “forever discharges [emphasis added]” would make it difficult for the government to follow through.

The obtained documents suggest the decision on whether to appeal depended on whether the Catholic entities would also use it as a pretext to relieve itself of the agreement’s non-financial obligations.

“Should discussions around the order result in a release that is limited to three financial obligations, Canada will not pursue the appeal,” reads a document dated September 2015 — a month prior to the election that brought Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to power.

The document also noted that releasing the Catholic entities from their non-financial commitments “could pose significant risk for Canada.”

While acknowledging the agreement would free the Church from its $21.5-million fundraising “shortfall” for survivors, “the likelihood of compelling the Catholic entities to meet their remaining fundraising obligations is very low.”

Ken Young, a former regional chief at the Assembly of First Nations and a residential school survivor, told CP he thinks it’s unlikely Canada would have succeeded in an appeal.

“Canada could have litigated until the cows came home,” he said. “I think we’re in a new phase.”

He said the problem was the settlement agreement relied on the Church’s “best efforts” to fundraise, rather than the fundraising’s outcome.

Young said it appears Church leaders have since learned their lesson, pointing to a promise the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops made in September 2021 to raise $30 million over five years for survivors. So far, just $4 million of those have been raised.

While Young said he believes the Church will match its fundraising goal, he questions why institutions as wealthy as the Vatican and Catholic Church need to fundraise.

“Write a cheque today, never mind bothering your parishioners to raise it,” he advised.

Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News