Colombia's potential renewables boom short circuits on Indigenous resistance

Nelson Bocanegra
Updated Tue, August 15, 2023

 Solar photovoltaic array is seen at a solar power field of the company Celsia, in Yumbo

By Nelson Bocanegra

BOGOTA (Reuters) - In May, a forum bringing together leaders debating wind and solar development in Colombia's La Guajira province was disrupted by a chorus of passionate opposition.

"La Guajira is not for sale!" exclaimed one attendee, a member of the area's Wayuu Indigenous community, who led the chant with others as the then-energy minister and local officials looked on.

The protest at the University of La Guajira event illustrates the challenges for over a dozen multinationals and the government of leftist President Gustavo Petro, as they seek to turn Colombia away from oil and coal even as a nascent renewables industry faces environmental licensing delays and determined opposition by some Wayuu communities.

More than 50 possible wind and solar projects by companies, including EDP Renewables, Energi, Brookfield Asset Management, AES and Enerfin have been announced in Colombia since 2019, with planned generation of 2.43 gigawatts in wind energy and 0.1 gigawatts in solar.

Though many were meant to be operating this year or last, none are. The companies did not respond to questions.

The tensions come as drought brought by the El Nino weather phenomenon looks set to deplete the production capacity of the hydropower-dependent country, leading to possible shortages and higher charges.

La Guajira - a coastal desert province in Colombia's far northeast - offers high-velocity wind, with few natural obstacles to turbines, as well as an often-blazing equatorial sun.

Some companies - including Italy's Enel - have indefinitely delayed projects, blaming local protests for hampering billions in investments.

A week-long visit by Petro and his cabinet to the traditionally poor province in late June failed to convince many Wayuu community members, who say companies and officials are not considering how proposed projects could affect their spiritual traditions, livelihoods and property rights - as well as the environment.

"They are projects done behind the backs of the community," said Jose Silva, the director of Nacion Wayuu, a group of 600 Wayuu leaders.

"Authorities, politicians and businessmen sit down to negotiate, not the ancestral owners of the land," he said.

Petro has promised to ensure communities benefit from projects and in some cases even participate in running them.

Silva said his group did not manage to meet with Petro and his cabinet during the visit but that those Wayuu who did were left with "more doubts than certainties."

Enel indefinitely halted construction of its Windpeshi wind park, which was to generate enough energy to power 500,000 homes, in May because of protests it said caused three years of delays and cost overruns of more than $250 million.

Members of a Wayuu group blocked roads, preventing workers from accessing the project for about half of the last three years, Enel said.

But Wayuu groups say they have no choice but to use blockades to stop projects on their lands that they have not approved and that protests are the result of a lack of communication.

"We have managed to unblock some and we want to move all of them ahead," said Petro in July, though he said a goal to bring 6 gigawatts of renewable production online during his term "could have difficulties."

Denmark's ambassador to Colombia Erik Hoeg told Reuters there was "considerable interest" from Danish companies and others from Europe but added: "We are waiting a bit in some cases for clear regulation, for example for offshore wind."

Dialogue must take place with Indigenous communities, Hoeg said, and Colombia should not lose the chance to become an exporter of renewable energy.

REGIONAL CONFLICTS GROW

The situation in La Guajira echoes challenges in Chile, where Indigenous communities are resisting lithium developments, and Mexico, where dozens of projects in wind, solar and other renewables are awaiting environmental permitting.

Wayuu community members say construction threatens trees and wildlife and has damaged grazing areas for hundreds of goats, killing off a top human food source, and violated sacred territory where their ancestors are buried.

Conflicts over projects have caused at least 10 deaths in the communities he represents, Silva added, as fraudulent landowners negotiate with companies instead of actual property holders, sparking violence.

Joanna Barney, a researcher at non-governmental organization Indepaz said she was aware of the deaths associated with conflicts over renewables projects.

Renewables - even if ostensibly more environmentally-friendly - are facing hurdles similar to those confronted by oil and mining companies, long Colombia's top sources of income.

Problems with environmental licensing have also stopped projects debuting on expected timelines, said Alexandra Hernandez, president of the Colombian Renewable Energy Association (SER).

Licenses for two wind farms belonging to Portugal's EDP Renewables were denied by Colombia's environmental authority because it said the company failed to identify potential impacts in each area of the project, including road access, and failed to properly demarcate protected zones.

Wind and solar provide less than 1% - about 300 megawatts - of Colombia's current energy generation. Hydroelectric generation accounts for 70%.

Planned renewable projects could eventually produce 20,000 megawatts, enough electricity for 11 million people, nearly a fourth of the population, says SER, which represents more than 90 companies.

Each megawatt would require between $700,000 and $1 million in investment by companies, taking potential spending on renewables to up to $20 billion nationally. About 65% have pending legal processes and some have been delayed for years.

"The projects aren't operating and it doesn't seem like they will start in the next two years," said Alejandro Lucio of Optima Consultores, which advises renewables companies. "Investors are tired of waiting."

(Reporting by Nelson Bocanegra; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Christian Plumb and Julia Symmes Cobb)

Young environmentalists won a landmark climate change ruling in Montana. Will it change anything?

Tue, August 15, 2023 


BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Young environmental activists prevailed in a closely watched Montana lawsuit that said state officials weren't doing enough to protect them from climate change.

Legal observers called it a landmark victory for the 16 plaintiffs: It marks the first time a court in the U.S. has declared that a government has a constitutional duty to protect people from climate change.

Here's what to know about Monday's potentially groundbreaking ruling that followed a first-of-its-kind trial earlier this summer:

WHAT DID THE RULING SAY?

State District Judge District Judge Kathy Seeley said officials violated Montana's highly protective constitution by refusing to consider the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions when they've approved coal mines, oil drilling and new power plants.

Attorneys for Montana argued the state's emissions were too small to make much difference in climate change.

Seeley rejected the argument, saying essentially that every ton of greenhouse gas counts toward global warming and each ton makes the plaintiff's lives worse as wildfires in Montana get worse and streams dry up from drought.

The judge also said the state can do something about it — deny permits for fossil fuel projects if their approval would result in "unconstitutional levels of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions.”

Montana has some of the world's largest coal reserves.

“Montana’s land contains a significant quantity of fossil fuels yet to be extracted,” Seeley wrote. “The State and its agents could consider GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions and climate impacts and reject projects that would lead to unreasonable degradation of Montana’s environment.”

SO WHAT DO THE YOUNG ACTIVISTS GET OUT OF THEIR VICTORY?

Seeley’s opinion was carefully crafted to avoid wading too deeply into policy matters that are considered the function of other branches of government and not the courts.

“It doesn’t try to set up the court to set climate policy for Montana, which is something that a lot of courts have balked at — the idea that on their own they can figure out how much climate mitigation should be done,” said David Dana, a professor at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law specializing in environmental law.

The ruling applies only in Montana — one of few states with a constitution to explicitly protect environmental rights. The state’s Republican attorney general already has promised an appeal.

If it stands, Montana officials no longer will be able legally to ignore the huge contributions to global warming made by fossil fuels. Whether they do anything about those emissions is another question.

The federal government, for example, has for more than a decade analyzed greenhouse gas emissions from major oil, gas and coal projects — oftentimes under court order. Yet Democratic and Republican administrations alike have continued to approve drilling and mining projects.

That seems likely to happen in Montana especially for the immediate future. Republicans hold a supermajority in the Legislature and have been strong advocates for more drilling and mining.

Notwithstanding that political reality, one of the young plaintiffs, Clare Vlases, 20, of Bozeman, said she believed Seeley's decision will serve as a check on the other branches of government that are promoting fossil fuels.

“I know my Montana lawmakers respect the constitution and they respect our governmental processes," Vlases said. "With that respect comes the responsibility to listen to this decision.”

WHAT ARE THE BROADER LEGAL IMPLICATIONS?

Never before has a U.S. court weighed in to say that a constitutional right to a healthy environment “includes climate as part of the environmental life-support system.”

That makes the ruling a landmark in climate litigation, said Sandra Zellmer, a professor of natural resources and environmental law at the University of Montana Blewett School of Law.

It could have even greater impact if it is upheld by the Montana Supreme Court, bolstering its impact as a legal precedent that could be cited in cases across the U.S. and even nationally, Zellmer said.

Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts have constitutions with environmental protections similar to Montana's.

WHAT OTHER CASES LIKE THIS ARE OUT THERE?

There have been few comparable court decisions on climate change internationally, including a 2019 ruling from the Netherlands’ top cour t in favor of activists who for years sought legal orders to force the Dutch government into cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

In the U.S., the environmental law firm that brought the Montana case — Oregon-based Our Children's Trust — has filed climate change lawsuits in every state, with most of those unsuccessful. Its victory in Montana came a decade after the state's Supreme Court denied an earlier climate change case from the firm.

Two lawsuits from Our Children's Trust are inching toward trial.

In Hawaii, a state judge set a trial next summer in a lawsuit that says the state is violating plaintiffs’ rights by operating a transportation system that produces large amounts of greenhouse gasses.

And in Oregon, a federal judge ruled in June that climate activists can proceed to trial years after they first filed a lawsuit that seeks to hold the nation’s leadership accountable for its role in climate change. A date has not yet been set. A previous trial in the case was scuttled by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts days before it was to begin in 2018.

Matthew Brown, The Associated Press

Boiling point? Canada’s warming oceans enter uncharted territory

Local Journalism Initiative
Tue, August 15, 2023 

Home to the longest coastline in the world, Canada is seeing a patchwork of superheating in all three oceans as global sea surface temperatures reached unprecedented heights in July.

There are entrenched hot spots of water in Canada’s Atlantic and Arctic oceans and temperatures are trending upwards in an alarming manner in the Pacific, months before seas typically reach peak warming at the end of August or September.

Increased marine warming due to human-caused climate change has been expected and documented for decades. But this summer’s extremes are bewildering, more severe and occurring faster than predicted, causing alarm in the scientific community, said Susanna Fuller, a vice-president at Oceans North.

“It’s absolutely pushing into uncharted territory,” Fuller said.

“We have predicted trends from a lot of modelling and long-term observations, but these new record highs kind of set a new baseline,” she said, noting a significant measure of uncertainty already exists when making climate predictions.

“When scientists say they are shocked and things are off the chart, it results in much more uncertainty ... how to manage and adapt [to climate impacts],” Fuller added.

Identifying the specific factors driving the most recent localized superheating in each of Canada’s oceans will require more investigation, but generalized impacts on ocean ecosystems are pretty well understood and the solution to mitigate or prevent them is crystal clear, she added.

“It all just underscores the incredible urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. That's the most important thing we can possibly do,” Fuller said.

Sea surface temperatures across the entire North Atlantic had smashed records by June, with temperatures starting to climb on Canada’s East Coast in mid-July — regularly reaching 5 C above normal in the waters of Nova Scotia, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and especially west of Newfoundland — which has been in the clutches of a severe marine heat wave for more than two weeks.

Temperature increases in Canada’s Atlantic are likely tied to atmospheric heat waves that are shattering heat records in Europe and elsewhere in the world and making it more difficult for the ocean to continue buffering the lion’s share of climate impacts, said Anya Waite, CEO of the Ocean Frontier Institute at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

“It’s just evidence of extreme global warming, which is a concern at any point,” Waite said.

“This is just showing us that the heat has nowhere to go anymore.”

The ocean has absorbed nearly 90 per cent of the excess heat caused by greenhouse gas emissions in the past 50 years, more than half of which is stored in the top 700 metres of the ocean.

But current spikes in sea and air temperatures speed the melting of Arctic ice, increasing the flood of freshwater into the ocean that might be slow or even stop critical ocean currents in the North Atlantic, Waite said.

The exceptional water temperatures coincide with scientific debate over how fast a system of currents, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (or AMOC), might be weakening as a result of climate change, with a recent study suggesting the possibility of its collapse as early as mid-century, she said.

The AMOC transports warm, salty water from the South Atlantic and tropics via the Gulf Stream to the colder North Atlantic. Typically, as freshwater is converted to ice, denser salty water sinks to the deep ocean to gather nutrients and is cycled, often over centuries, south again to rise and replenish oceans in warmer regions.

But research suggests that cycle has slowed over the course of the last half-century, Waite said.

The increased amount of buoyant freshwater in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans may be disrupting this vital cycling of incoming warm water to cooler depths.

“It can potentially interfere with that sinking [process] that's carrying all the heat into the deep ocean and saving us, in a way, from climate change,” she said.

The situation is also being aggravated by El Niño, Waite said.

The cyclical climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean taking place this year is predicted to cause more intense and disruptive weather worldwide. The climate pattern usually causes warmer and drier conditions in the northern United States and Canada and increased rainfall and storms in the southern states and South America.

El Niño, which typically reaches peak effect in late winter and early spring, will likely amplify the climate extremes of drought, fire and flood experienced across Canada. The Maritime provinces, especially Nova Scotia, were ravaged this year, she said.

“The warming ocean has huge impacts on our weather and it really can trigger both these torrential rains and drought that lead to more wildfires,” Waite said.

Approximately 40 per cent of the world’s oceans meet the threshold for a marine heat wave, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Marine heat waves involve sea surface temperatures that are higher than normal for at least five days.

The U.S. agency is forecasting up to half the ocean will reach the same state by September and likely stay that way until the end of the year.

Most of Canada’s southern Arctic waters and hot spots around Hudson Bay and Baffin Island have ranged between 4 C and 5 C above normal for much of the past month, according to Environment Canada’s sea and ice monitoring data.

Warm ocean temperatures speed up the melting of ice, which further compounds the warming, Fuller said. This contributes to the “Arctic amplification effect,” which means the polar region is heating up to four times faster than the rest of the globe, recent research shows.

“When there is no ice, the water is darker and absorbs sunlight more, which means it gets even warmer,” she said.

“So you get this feedback effect where the warmer the water gets, the faster the ice melts.”

The Arctic marine heat wave season has extended by nearly a month in the last two decades, research shows. These events increase over time and are more intense than other areas of the ocean and have powerful impacts on the Arctic ecosystem.

Arctic communities are particularly vulnerable because warming waters and loss of sea ice can harm the entire food web from plankton to whales and shift the range of animals and marine creatures that people hunt and rely on for food, such as Arctic char, belugas or seals, Fuller said.

Changes in weather from climate change also damage important infrastructure, like transportation networks, buildings and roads. Storm surge is a big problem for communities on the shores of the western Arctic, she noted.

The federal government recently allocated $54 million to prevent the shoreline of the Inuvialuit hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk from disappearing. Coastal erosion, flooding and permafrost thaw have caused a metre of shoreline to disappear annually, threatening homes and key community buildings like health centres and its college near the Mackenzie River delta in the Northwest Territories.

Communities in the Arctic also rely on ice and frozen permafrost to travel, hunt and ship supplies and their disappearance isolates and threatens people physically and culturally, Fuller said.

“Imagine if the 401 [highway] just disappeared and people couldn't get from community to community,” she said.

“We have Arctic communities that are facing almost catastrophic changes.”

A large marine heat wave lurking offshore for most of the spring arrived in early August on Canada’s West Coast and in Washington state and Oregon south of the border.

Temperatures at the ocean’s surface are as much as 4 C above normal, but still haven’t broken last year’s records, said Andrew Leising, a NOAA research oceanographer.

Marine heat waves in the Pacific Northwest are no longer uncommon in the summer and often have negative impacts on marine ecosystems, such as causing harmful algae blooms that can kill shellfish. Warm water can also push fish like salmon north in search of cold water and diminish the amount and quality of plankton, a key food for many marine species.

However, despite the current record-breaking global water temperatures and atmospheric heat waves, and the pending El Niño effect, it’s too early to tell if the infamous Blob will resurface in the Pacific, Leising said.

The Blob was a massive, prolonged and severe marine heat event that began in 2014 and lasted two years. It had cascading impacts on the ecosystem and food web, causing massive die-offs of salmon, seabirds, sea lions, kelp forests and sea stars. The resulting toxic algae blooms decimated shellfish along the Pacific and may have caused a spike in humpback whale fatalities.

“Blob-class” events last longer than standard marine heat waves and feature warm water at greater depths, Leising said.

“It wasn’t just at the surface,” he said. “In some places, it was warming the water down to 120 or 140 metres.”

And although the Blob was amplified by the effects of an El Niño year, it originated due to a long-lasting ridge of high pressure over the ocean that blocked waters from cooling over the winter.

“They called it the ‘ridiculously resilient ridge,’” said Leising, who runs a Blob Tracker website.

“There are a lot of similarities to the Blob years, but when you dig into the details of the atmospheric pattern and how it's evolving, it's a bit different right now.”

However, when El Niño reaches its peak next spring, it will be clearer if conditions are in place for a possible resurgence of the Blob, he said.

But the warmer ocean temperatures can have impacts on marine life, whether they are short- or long-term, he stressed.

“If I'm an animal or I'm a fish sitting off the coast of B.C., do I really care what’s causing all this warm water?” he asked.

“I don’t think I do. It’s warm water and I’m getting hit by it.”


Rochelle Baker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada's National Observer

RCMP make arrests again at B.C. logging blockades after court odyssey

The Canadian Press
Tue, August 15, 2023 


LAKE COWICHAN, B.C. — Mounties are back enforcing an injunction against anti-logging protesters on Vancouver Island less than a week after the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed the acquittal of a protester at the same site because police failed to fully read out a court order.

RCMP say in a statement that there have been numerous violations of the court-ordered injunction granted to Teal Cedar Products in April of 2021, so their officers have returned to the Fairy Creek Watershed near Lake Cowichan.

Police say there are reports that Teal Cedar's employees are being harassed, equipment has been vandalized and the company has been prevented from harvesting timber.

The RCMP say in a subsequent news release on Tuesday that they spoke with protesters who were blocking a bridge and when they failed to obey the injunction or leave, three were arrested for breaching the court's order.

One officer was allegedly assaulted by a suspect who took off into the woods, and police say a report to the Crown will be forwarded for consideration of criminal charges.

Confrontations between police and protesters have led to more than 1,100 arrests since 2021, but when a court tossed out one case because police didn't read the entire injunction, dozens more acquittals followed and B.C.'s prosecution service dropped 146 cases after the high court's decision last Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2023.

The Canadian Press

Class-action lawsuit proposed over Toronto police practice of 'carding'

The Canadian Press
Tue, August 15, 2023 



TORONTO — A proposed class-action lawsuit has been launched over Toronto police's historic use of "carding," alleging the practice of randomly stopping people and collecting their information continues to harm marginalized communities.

The statement of claim filed Monday is on behalf of all Black and Indigenous people who have been stopped by Toronto police or had their information collected without reason since 2011.

It names the Toronto Police Services Board, current police chief Myron Demkiw and former chiefs James Ramer, Mark Saunders and Bill Blair as defendants.

"Carding has caused widespread harm, including damage to the plaintiff's and class members' mental and physical integrity, their privacy and their livelihoods," it reads.

"While the police have a statutory and common law duty to investigate crime, they are not empowered to undertake any and all action in the exercise of that duty."

The lawsuit alleges that the carding practice, officially abandoned years ago, continues to take place and disproportionately impacts Black and Indigenous people despite public opposition, academic research on its harmful effects and public reports that have found it to be discriminatory and ineffective. The allegations in the statement of claim have not been proven in court.

Toronto police and the Toronto Police Services Board said they are reviewing the statement of claim, but will not be commenting on the case as the matter is before the courts.

"Any material filed, in due course and in response to this litigation before the court, will be a matter of public record," the board noted.

The lawsuit is led by plaintiff Ayaan Farah, a 38-year-old Somali-Canadian with no criminal record. It says Farah was "sitting in public" in 2011 when she was detained by Toronto police officers who allegedly recorded her personal information without providing a reason.

The statement of claim alleges that interaction led Farah to lose her security clearance in 2014 at Toronto Pearson Airport, where she had worked since 2006. The RCMP had told Transport Canada that when Farah was stopped by Toronto police officers, she had been seen with an unidentified member of the Somali-Canadian community with alleged gang ties and a criminal history.

At the time, Farah told Transport Canada that she did not know who the unnamed individual was and that she was falsely accused of having ties to gangsters.

Due to her security clearance being revoked and accusations made against her, Farah's employer suspended her without pay or benefits.

"I became very worried about going out in public. I feared that the police would watch me and accuse me of something. I stopped volunteering in my community, because I was so worried that the police might report me again," Farah said in a statement through her lawyer, Solomon McKenzie.

"I felt targeted. The police punished me for being in public, and I missed promotions, raises, and was suspended for my job for no reason."

After seeking a review of Transport Canada's decision to revoke her security clearance, a federal court found the process was unfair and set the decision aside, leading to her reinstatement 21 months later, according to materials contained in the statement of claim.

However, the lawsuit alleges the incident and its consequences led her to become isolated and develop depression, paranoia and hyper-vigilance in public. It notes she ultimately emigrated to the U.S. to avoid further contact with Toronto police officers.

Farah said she wants to push the case forward to end police use of carding tactics and seek justice for members of her community affected by it.

"I never received an apology for the police behaviour, even though they had a significant impact on my life and career. I want to make sure that nobody ever has to suffer this experience again," she said.

The lawsuit seeksto find that the carding practice violates Charter rights protecting against unreasonable search and seizure, arbitrary detention as well as discrimination and rights of liberty and security.

It also seeksa number of reforms around carding, including wiping collected data from police databases, enhanced training resources on why the practice is unlawful and a public apology to victims of carding.

In a 2019 review of carding practices, Ontario Justice Michael Tulloch, now the province's chief justice, found that random street checks were not effective as a method of crime prevention or reduction, and should be abolished given their detrimental impacts on racialized communities.

The lawsuit is calling for all 129 recommendations in Tulloch's report to be put into effect, alleging only some have been implemented to date.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2023.

Tyler Griffin, The Canadian Press

Surge in pet surrenders straining Alberta's shelter capacity

"Responsible pet ownership is the No. 1 thing that will get rescues out of this situation,

People need to be prepared so that they can care for their animal for a lifetime."

CBC
Tue, August 15, 2023 

A kitten squeals for attention at the Second Chance Animal Rescue Society. Staff at the facility are fielding 10 requests per day from owners wanting to surrender their pets. 

(Emily Fitzpatrick/CBC - image credit)

An unprecedented surge in the number of cats and dogs being surrendered by their owners is creating a capacity crisis at pet rescue facilities across Alberta.

The increase in unwanted pets is putting a strain on shelters, taking a toll on rescue workers and escalating fears that unwanted animals may face neglect.

People on the front lines caution that with capacity strained, some owners are abandoning their pets instead of finding shelters that can take them.

The crisis is unfolding in communities across the province as shelters contend with chronic overcrowding. The trend began as COVID restrictions eased and has continued to escalate alongside the cost of living.

Erin Deems, executive director at Saving Grace Animal Rescue Society in Alix, 55 kilometres northeast of Red Deer, said with so many animals being given up, there is no longer space to house them all.

'Desperate measures'

"We are over capacity on any given day," she said. "And unfortunately, people are just taking desperate measures now by literally dumping them on our doorstep."

Shelter officials say several factors are driving the trend, which has been seen across Canada. Animal adoptions spiked during the peak of COVID-19 but as restrictions eased, the trend reversed.

Many people who adopted pets while they were isolated under restrictions no longer have time to care for the animals. Backyard breeding operations that proliferated during the pandemic are now clogging the shelter system with unwanted litters.

Amid soaring inflation, the problem has only grown worse. Some people can no longer afford their pets or find pet-friendly homes within budget.

Deems said Saving Grace is struggling to keep up with demand for its services. More than 80 animals are currently in its shelter, and another 200 are in foster homes.

Staff are fielding up to 15 calls a day from people asking to surrender their animals. Most are being turned away.

"We're doing a triage system," Deems said. "But we can't take in anything that's not in a dire situation because we don't have the means to care for them. There's just no space."

Staff are attempting to prioritize the most vulnerable animals but each new case pushes the society further past capacity and puts more pressure on its limited budget, Deems said.

Edmonton-based Infinite Woofs Animal Rescue stopped accepting surrenders from the public about a year ago due to capacity constraints.

Treasurer Lori White said the rescue gets about 30 calls each day from people looking to surrender their pets.

Infinite Woofs recently took in the sole surviving kitten from a litter of five that had been thrown into a ditch along a highway.

Rescue workers say similar reports are on the rise.

"How does a person get to a point where their only action is to throw a bunch of helpless kittens out of a car?" White asked.

"Did they try to go to rescues? Did they try to get them surrendered somewhere else and were turned away again and again? It's very difficult.

"It's a vicious cycle we're living in right now."

Amanda Annetts, a program co-ordinator with Edmonton-based Second Chance Animal Rescue Society, said staff are now fielding, on average, 10 requests per day for pet surrenders — a 300 per cent increase from pre-pandemic levels.

"There's people who call us and are begging us and crying. But the space is just not there.

"We try to say 'yes' as much as we possibly can … And when we say 'no,' we don't know where those animals go. It's really awful."

The society has more than 500 animals in care at its shelter facility in Morinville, more than double its regular capacity and the most the agency has ever housed.

"The Alberta crisis is so bad right now that every rescue is pleading for help and there's no end in sight," Annetts said.

"Even if you increase adoptions, even you get more donations, you're still going to have the issue of these strays coming in."

Rescue workers say increased enforcement against backyard breeders and better access to affordable veterinary services — particularly subsidized spay and neuter programs — would help alleviate the pressure.

Annetts said a lack of education is also driving the trend. Too often, pets are seen as disposable.

"Responsible pet ownership is the No. 1 thing that will get rescues out of this situation," she said.

"People need to be prepared so that they can care for their animal for a lifetime."

As people fled the fires, pets did too. Some emerged with marks of escape, but many remain lost

MAUI, BUT IT COULD BE ANY WILDFIRE

OR NATURAL DISASTER

Tue, August 15, 2023 



PUUNENE, Hawaii (AP) — A dog with hind legs bandaged tightly from paw to hip whimpered in pain through a plastic medical cone, chest rising and falling quickly in shallow breaths.

The animal is one of the pets and people bearing marks of their escape from the smoke and flames of Maui wildfires that claimed more than 90 lives and decimated a historic town.

“We have seen animals come through our shelter that have severe, severe burns," said Katie Shannon, director of marketing and communications at Maui Humane Society. “We have seen dogs that have essentially had their paws all the way burnt down to the bone from running from the fire.”

The deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than 100 years has left hundreds of dogs, cats and other pets lost, injured or dead. An estimated 3,000 animals from Lahaina remain missing, according to the Maui Humane Society, which is now trying to reunite pets with owners and treat the many animals that arrived at clinics wrapped in blankets covering wounds.

"We have had chickens, love birds, guinea pigs, rabbits, dogs, cats,” Shannon said. “We even have a pig here.”

Fueled by dry grass and propelled by strong winds from a passing hurricane, the fires raced as fast as a mile (1.6 kilometers) every minute in one area, forcing people to scramble and flee in harrowing escapes they later relayed to family members who waited in agony to learn of their fate.

The stories of the animals, though, were told by the damage on their bodies.

A cat arrived with singed fur and spots of leg burns. A chicken needed both scorched claws wrapped with thick, blue medical tape.

A clinic worker used surgical tweezers to delicately remove debris from a dog's paws while another technician cradled the head, rubbed the neck with gentle thumb strokes and spoke calmly into the animal's ear.

They were the lucky ones. On a Maui street, a dog’s charred body was found.

As the smoke clears and officials survey the scope of loss and destruction, animal welfare advocates are working with the Maui Police Department to enter the burn area in search of lost, injured or deceased animals.

“As those areas continue to widen," said Lisa Labrecque, CEO of the Maui Humane Society, at a Monday news conference, “we will be able to expand our scope of services.”

Dozens of feeding stations stocked with food and water have been set to draw scared animals out of hiding so they can be tracked and transported to a shelter, where veterinary staffers treat both burn injuries and smoke inhalation cases.

Found animals are checked for identification and scanned for a microchip so owners may be contacted. The Maui Humane Society has asked that deceased animals not be moved or destroyed so they can be cataloged and checked for identification.

"But this is only the beginning," Shannon said. "People need to understand that we are in the midst of this. And, you know, there is a harsh reality to come."

Ed Komenda And Haven Daley, The Associated Press

Hawaiian Electric Extends Record Slump With Another 20% Drop

Mark Chediak
Tue, August 15, 2023




(Bloomberg) -- Hawaiian Electric Industries, which supplies roughly 95% of the state’s residents with power, traces its roots back to 1891, just a decade after King Kalakaua met Thomas Edison to see the incandescent light bulb. Now, the utility is facing what’s shaping up to be the biggest-ever test over its future.

Relentless selling on Monday wiped more than a $1 billion from the company’s value as the stock plunged by a third in its biggest loss on record. Shares extended the freefall on Tuesday, shedding about 20%, after Hawaiian Electric was cut to junk by S&P Global Ratings.

Investors are dumping holdings amid increasing scrutiny over power equipment as the possible source of the deadly Maui wildfire.

Analysts are starting to raise questions over whether Hawaiian Electric, one of the smallest publicly traded US utilities, will be able to withstand the pressure if it does end up being at fault.

To be clear: no official cause of the fire, which has become the deadliest in the US in more than a century, has been identified. And it could be weeks — even months — before any investigation is finalized.

Still, lawsuits have already been filed against Hawaiian Electric amid reports of downed power lines that were knocked over by strong winds in the lead up to the blazes.

Damages from the tragedy have so far reached more than $5.5 billion, according to federal estimates, an amount that dwarfs Hawaiian Electric’s market capitalization of about $2.4 billion as of Monday’s close.

“Given the size of the company, I don’t know how they would be able to account for this if they are found negligent or imprudent,” said Shahriar Pourreza, a utility analyst for Guggenheim Securities. “It’s hard to see the company emerging from this tragedy in its current form.”

Honolulu-based Hawaiian Electric, which operates the Maui Electric utility, declined to comment on its stock price drop and the potential for legal liability. The utility said it’s focused on restoration efforts, damage assessment and local community support.

“At this early stage, the causes haven’t been determined,” the company said in a statement. “We will work closely with state and county as they conduct their review.”

Lawsuits on behalf of victims were filed that allege the company’s Maui utility was negligently responsible for the wildfire that leveled the historic town of Lahaina.

If the utility is held liable in a worst-case scenario, it may be forced to restructure in a bankruptcy, or it could be taken over in a government bailout, Pourreza said. In the near term, Hawaiian Electric could face a liquidity crunch with banks hesitating to loan the company money needed to fund its operations given the potential liability risk, he said.

“If you are a lender to the company, I think you’re going to take a step back and say: I’m going to wait to see how things play out,” he said.

On Monday, Guggenheim cut its price target for Hawaiian Electric from $32 apiece to $18, warning it could go lower. The shares closed down 34% at $21.46 the same day.

Read More: In Search for Hawaii Fires Cause, Lawyers Probe Power Lines

The company has come under criticism for not turning off power despite warnings of critical fire conditions due to predicted dry, gale-force winds. The utility has said that preemptive short-term shutoffs have to be coordinated with first responders, and in Lahaina, electricity powers the pumps that provide the water needed for firefighting.

There’s precedent for large wildfire liabilities pushing a utility into a crisis and bankruptcy.

PG&E Corp., California’s largest utility, was forced to reorganize in 2019 after its wind-damaged equipment sparked some of the most destructive wildfires in state history resulting in estimated claims of more than $30 billion. The company was threatened with a state takeover, but ultimately reached a Chapter 11 settlement with California that resulted in closer regulatory oversight of its operations and the payment of billions of dollars of claims to fire victims.

If there is a link to power lines, Hawaiian Electric will have to be shown to be negligent or that it could have reasonably prevented a loss, a higher legal standard than the one applied to utilities in California, according to analysts.

“If there was negligence, I would expect all options, including bankruptcy for Maui Electric, to be on the table,” said Jay Rhame, chief executive officer of utility investor Reaves Asset Management. Reaves doesn’t hold shares of Hawaiian Electric in its portfolio, Rhame said.

The company’s insurance coverage is likely under $1 billion, Wells Fargo utility analyst Jonathan Reeder said in a note Monday. It’s unclear if the parent company could “ring-fence” potential liabilities within its Maui Electric subsidiary, according to the note.

Meanwhile, traditional utility investors will likely stay away from the company’s stock, said Andy Bischof, a utility analyst for Morningstar.

“This is something that is going to play out for some time,” Bischof said. “For a utility investor, it’s probably not a risk profile they would be willing to accept.”

©2023 Bloomberg L.P.

Wildfire now 20km from Yellowknife, risk 'has risen' over last day

CBC
Tue, August 15, 2023 

Smoky conditions in Yellowknife on Sunday.

 As of Tuesday morning, the Behchoko-Yellowknife fire was about 20 kilometres from the capital with 'significant fire behaviour' expected through the day.

 (Luke Carroll/CBC - image credit)

A wildfire burning northwest of Yellowknife is now about 20 kilometres from the city, officials said on Tuesday morning. That means it's moved about 10 kilometres closer to the capital since a day earlier.

"The fire is not expected to reach Yellowknife in the coming days, however, risk to the city and Ndilǫ has risen since yesterday," reads an update from N.W.T. Fire at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Firefighters were also expecting "significant fire behaviour" on Tuesday, with winds out of the north and northwest expected to push the fire further south and east. Smoke and falling ash was likely in Yellowknife, Ndilǫ and Dettah on Tuesday, the update reads.

Weather conditions could become more favourable on Wednesday, officials say. There's a chance of showers forecast then, and more showers expected on Thursday. Winds are also expected to shift on Thursday, "which should slow progression towards Yellowknife."

The Behchoko-Yellowknife fire was 136,109 hectares as of Tuesday morning. After the fire breached control lines to the southwest toward Boundary Creek, N.W.T. Fire said Monday morning the breach was "significant" and their top priority was to contain it.

On Monday, the City of Yellowknife declared a local state of emergency. City staff said the declaration would allow the city to use local contractors to help protect the city by helping build fire breaks.

The city is not under an evacuation alert or order.

Meantime, an evacuation order issued earlier for property owners along the Ingraham Trail east of Yellowknife has now been downgraded to an evacuation alert. Officials said they had seen "less progression than was possible" on the 40,723-hectare fire.

The evacuation alert covers the area including north Propserous Lake, north Prelude Lake and all of River Lake. Officials said downgrading the evacuation order "for now" will allow property owner to return and run their sprinklers. They advised, however, that things may change quickly.

City of Yellowknife declares state of local emergency due to wildfires

The Canadian Press
Mon, August 14, 2023



YELLOWKNIFE — Hundreds of northerners were being airlifted from at least three communities in the face of wind-whipped wildfires as the Canadian Forces arrived in the Northwest Territories and ashes rained down on its capital city, where a state of local emergency has been declared.

"Over the past 24 hours or so there has been an airlift like this territory has never seen," N.W.T. fire information officer Mike Westwick said Monday.

"Planes flying out of Hay River, planes flying out of Fort Smith, planes flying out of Jean Marie River.

"The highways are compromised. It's a very serious situation."

Jane Groenewegen was helping a friend leave the hamlet of Enterprise just south of Hay River on Sunday evening when RCMP officers knocked on the door.

"They said, 'No, you have to evacuate immediately.' It was probably only 30 to 45 minutes after that when basically the entire town of Enterprise burned down," she said in a phone interview.

Groenewegen and her friend drove south to High Level, Alta., where Groenewegen owns a ranch.

"We got into a situation of thick, black smoke," she said. "It turned from daylight to pitch black with orange reflections on both sides of the highway. I had to hold a cloth over my face just to breathe."

RCMP reported at least 12 abandoned and damaged vehicles between Hay River and Enterprise.

"Reports of poor visibility due to heavy smoke on the roadway have been received and it is likely that this contributed to the vehicle collisions and vehicles becoming immobilized after leaving the roadway," said Cpl. Matt Halstead in a release.

"The officers stopped and checked each vehicle, and there was no indication that anyone was trapped or left behind. The risk of fire in this area prevented the officers from conducting further investigation."

On Monday morning, about 20 fellow evacuees were staying on Groenewegen's ranch, camping in tents or trailers. With fire damage to cell towers and fibre optic lines, it wasn't until mid-Monday morning that she spoke with her husband and learned he was safe.

No injuries have been reported and no one is believed missing.

Firefighters were in tough conditions battling against flames driven by winds gusting 60 to 70 kilometres an hour in some areas, said Westwick.

On Sunday, those winds pushed the flames through a firebreak and within 30 kilometres of the territorial capital of Yellowknife. The city is not considered threatened, but residents have been told to prepare to leave.

"The city is very smoky," Westwick said. "Yesterday, we saw dark clouds of smoke envelope the city. We saw falling ash. We do expect that to continue."

The city declared a state of local emergency during an emergency council meeting on Monday evening, saying in a tweet it will ensure the community "can exercise precautionary practices and acquire the equipment and resources needed to keep Yellowknife safe."

It said that could include taking over the use of vehicles or property to respond to the emergency, causing an evacuation for all or a portion of the community, or authorizing qualified people to provide services or aid in emergency responses.

Evacuations were ordered for areas north of Yellowknife and along Highway 3, which heads west.

On Sunday, winds drove the Kakisa fire within 25 kilometres of Hay River. Local officials reported all long-term care residents and hospital patients were transported to Yellowknife, and 215 people were flown to Grande Prairie, Alta.

Enterprise suffered significant damage. Damage was also reported on Northwestel fibre lines as well as some electrical lines.

"Communications have been challenged in a big way," said Westwick.

Firefighters were arriving from other jurisdictions, and four helicopters and water bombers were en route.

Meanwhile, members of the Canadian Forces have been deployed to help deal with the wildfires.

A National Defence spokeswoman said a reconnaissance team was on the ground in the community along the south shore of Great Slave Lake. She did not say how big the team was, nor what equipment or capabilities they were bringing with them.

By Tuesday, 124 soldiers are expected to be mobilized to the area. About 100 are to be engaged in mop-up and patrol operations when wildfires have been contained, with the remainder co-ordinating logistics. In the air, the Forces are to contribute a helicopter and a Twin Otter airplane.

The military deployment is set to last until Aug. 29.

"The mobilization of the Canadian Armed Forces will ease the stress on the territory’s resources and allow the (territory) to continue to provide essential services to evacuees during this unprecedented wildfire season," N.W.T. Premier Caroline Cochrane said in a press release.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2023.

— By Bob Weber in Edmonton with files from Brittany Hobson in Winnipeg

Canada sees its first 40°C reading this year as a prolonged heat wave hits B.C.

Warmest days of the year on tap for British Columbia

Likely going to be through the Lytton, Lillooet or Osoyoos

Digital Writers
Tue, August 15, 2023

Canada sees its first 40°C reading this year as a prolonged heat wave hits B.C.

The country's streak of temperatures staying below the 40-degree mark has finally ended.

A formidable ridge over Western Canada has allowed the B.C. community of Lytton to achieve the country's first 40°C reading in 2023, reaching a high of 41.5°C on Monday.

RELATED: Why extreme heat is one of the world’s deadliest weather disasters
Tuesday

On Monday, we had our first 40°C reading in Canada this year in Lytton, where the temperature hit a sizzling 41.5°C. The previous record was held by Etzicom, Alta., where the mercury reached 39.8°C, which Lytton tied on Sunday.

Temperatures were 8-10 degrees cooler near the coast, but it was still feeling quite muggy with some excess Pacific moisture lingering around. Widespread heat warnings remain in effect.

image2

This setup is a tradeoff between simmering mugginess and searing heat. Folks along the immediate coast will have cooler temperatures but higher humidity, while communities farther inland will see hotter but less-muggy conditions.

Temperatures will be similar on Tuesday to the conditions faced Monday, making for uncomfortable, and even dangerous heat for some. If you’re inclined to get some relief, head down to the beaches to get a cooler breeze.

DON'T MISS: Canada’s historic wildfire season only halfway done: A checkpoint

Baron - BC temps - Aug15
Stay safe in the heat

Hot temperatures are the most dangerous weather you’re likely to face during the summer months. It’s a silent hazard that can sneak up on even the fittest individuals.

RELATED: How hot is too hot for the human body?

Heat Stroke and Exhaustion Symptoms

Use caution if you have to spend extended periods of time outdoors during the day. Stay aware of the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, staying hydrated and taking frequent cooling breaks to prevent illness. Humidity will make it harder for the body to cool off during the heat of the day, and the muggy air will subdue any relief overnight.
WATCH: How extreme heat affects our body's ability to cool down

Click here to view the video
Cooling long-range pattern

Temperatures will gradually cool a bit throughout the course of the week as a stronger onshore flow develops and the ridge flattens a bit. By this weekend, temperatures will be back closer to seasonal, with more cloud-cover and the return of some showers possible for the second half of August.

image5

Thumbnail courtesy of Getty Images.

'This isn't normal,' NASA says in announcing July as hottest month on record

Sheri Walsh
Mon, August 14, 2023 

July was the hottest month on record in 143 years, as Americans felt "the effects of the climate crisis," scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York (pictured) announced Monday. 

File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

Aug. 14 (UPI) -- July was the hottest month on record in 143 years, as Americans felt "the effects of the climate crisis," scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York announced Monday.

According to NASA, July 2023 was on average 0.43 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than any other July on record. It was also 2.1 degrees warmer than the average July between 1951 and 1980, according to GISS which defines "normal" temperatures as lasting several decades, typically 30 years. The five hottest Julys since 1880 have all occurred in the past five years, NASA says.

"This July was not just warmer than any previous July -- it was the warmest month in our record, which goes back to 1880," NASA's GISS Director Gavin Schmidt said.

"The science is clear this isn't normal. Alarming warming around the world is driven primarily by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. And that rise in average temperature is fueling dangerous extreme heat that people are experiencing here at home and worldwide," Schmidt added.

Some parts of the world were hotter than others and experienced temperatures around 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit above average. Tens of millions of people in parts of North America, South America, North Africa and the Antarctic Peninsula spent July under heat warnings, as hundreds suffered heat-related illnesses and deaths.

Global temperature anomalies for July 2023 according to the GISTEMP analysis by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. According to NASA, July was on average 0.43 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than any other July on record. 

Image courtesy of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies

"Climate change is impacting people and ecosystems around the world, and we expect many of these impacts to escalate with continued warming," said Katherine Calvin, chief scientist and senior climate advisor at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Last week, the European Union's climate monitor also called July 2023 the hottest month around the globe with 29 of the warmest days ever recorded.

Copernicus, which tracks worldwide climate data for the EU, said daily surface air temperatures have risen drastically since 1940 with 2023 being the hottest summer on record.

NASA blames high sea surface temperatures and El Niño in the eastern tropical Pacific for contributing to July's record heat. NASA expects to see the biggest impacts of El Niño -- which can cause severe storms in some areas and drought in others -- in February, March and April of 2024.

"Since day one, President Biden has treated the climate crisis as the existential threat of our time," said Ali Zaidi, White House National Climate Advisor. "Against the backdrop of record high temperatures, wildfires and floods, NASA's analysis puts into context the urgency of President Biden's unprecedented climate leadership."

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson agreed, in a post on X.

"NASA data confirms what billions around the world literally felt: temperatures in July 2023 made it the hottest month on record. In every corner of the country, Americans are right now experiencing firsthand the effects of the climate crisis, underscoring the urgency of President Biden's historic climate agenda," Nelson said.

"The science is clear. We must act now to protect our communities and planet; it's the only one we have."