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CBC •

Why this student offers tours of climate solutions hidden throughout Vancouver | CBC Climate Change News

Yunfei Li stands in the centre of Robson Square, a pedestrian plaza in the heart of downtown Vancouver, and one of the most widely used public spaces in the city. At lunchtime, the plaza is full of food trucks and local artists. It’s also the starting point for many marches and protests. But Li explains to the walking group she’s leading that this wasn’t always the case.
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Streams are drying up in B.C. — and volunteers are racing to save fish | CBC News

Parts of British Columbia have been hit hard by drought this summer. In Bessette Creek, severe drought conditions recently prompted orders limiting water use in an effort to protect salmon populations from record-low flows. Temporary protection orders for the Salmon River watershed were also issued at the end of July, rescinded in early August to address increased wildfire risk in the region and then reissued at the end of August. And those are just the watersheds struggling to the point of governm...
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New research discovers the twisty secret behind the narwhal's unusually straight tusk | CBC News

The narwhal tusk is a true oddity in the natural world. Reaching up to three metres in length, the tusk is an upper tooth that grows through the whale's lip on the left side. And it is the only mammal tusk that grows perfectly straight, with no curves. A team of international researchers believe they have figured out why it grows so straight — and the answer lies in its unique pattern of opposing spirals. “This was really the first time that we could prove that this was the case and that there w...
CBC •

Can billionaire-backed conservation avoid becoming greenwashing? | CBC News

A new $200-million US initiative backed by the Bezos Earth Fund and Leonardo DiCaprio's Re:wild promises to help recover 100 threatened species, including pink iguanas, lemurs, wild pigs and pangolins. The Phoenix Species Project could provide sustained funding for breeding programs, habitat restoration and locally led conservation work. But it also raises a broader question: Can billionaire-backed philanthropy help the environment, while improving donors' green image, despite the environmental...
CBC •

As more EVs hit the road, will we have the mechanics to keep them running? | CBC Climate Change News

EV sales are ramping up — not just cars but also trucks and buses. Canada wants EVs to make up 75 per cent of new vehicle sales by 2035 to help meet its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

Electric school buses have gained traction in some parts of the country, but a new report suggests a challenge to keeping them running in the future — and it's one that could affect other EVs, too.
CBC •

Alberta's new pipeline deal could allow Canadian oil to reach new countries. But will they want it? | CBC News

Energy and environmental organizations are reacting with alarm to the recent Canada-Alberta deal to build a new oil pipeline to the West Coast, questioning whether overseas buyers can be found for the oil that may eventually flow through the pipeline. The Alberta government's proposal estimates the pipeline would cost $35.2 to $43.7 billion, with the federal and Alberta governments remaining majority owners in the project. That's despite an earlier promise from Prime Minister Mark Carney — enshri...
CBC •

Even birds living in protected Ontario reserve can't escape climate change, new study finds | CBC News

Long Point Bird Observatory is a protected area full of wildlife that is located on a 40-kilometre sandspit — designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve — near Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario. It's also the oldest continuously operating bird sanctuary in North America. But it appears that climate change is upsetting the natural course of life for its inhabitants. New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the U.S. on June 24 found that tree swallows at Long Point...
CBC •

Electric golf carts are another EV option hitting the streets | CBC Climate Change News

Tasha Maynard's vision for B.C. is one with small, accessible electric vehicles. She hopes they will help create a sense of community, with less noise and pollution in downtown cores.

"I had a 'what if' moment of what would the world look like if we were able to make electric [carts] fun and accessible, and that was really where the idea of HeyYa Carts was born."

Maynard founded the company in 2024. It rents street-legal electric golf carts to help people get around Vancouver and Victoria. Its fleet includes 35 vehicles, all manufactured in B.C.

The low-speed electric vehicles (LSVs) come in four-, six- and eight-seat models. They can travel up to 40 km/h and have a range of up to 80 kilometres.
CBC •

Could the history of Mars be set in stone? Meteorite discovery may offer clues to Red Planet's past | CBC News

Hiding inside a piece of an ancient meteorite that is at least 4.4 billion years old lies potential secrets to the history of Mars. The meteorite, known as NWA 8171, contains a mineral that has not been discovered in Martian material before. And it might offer clues about how the planet was formed. "The most exciting part is that we potentially have a new rock type on Mars,” said Tanya Kizovski, an assistant professor at Brock University's earth sciences department who made the discovery." We are e...
CBC •

This chef turns food waste into meals | CBC Climate Change News

When TJ Conwi started cooking, there weren't even compost bins. Everything that didn't make it into the dishes went into the garbage.

Right before the pandemic, Conwi was working as an executive chef at a major Vancouver hotel. He saw how much food was wasted and it alarmed him.

This wasn't just random carrot tops. It was crates of produce that was perfectly fine for consumption, like eggplant or tomatoes, but not quite the right shape or colour.

"It's not just your food scrap that you would throw out in the compost bin, it's actual good food," said Conwi.
CBC •

This Canadian company says it's invented a greener greenhouse | CBC Climate Change News

Benjamin Feagin Jr. grew up in a small town in Ontario. His family struggled to afford food, and he saw first-hand how the combination of high prices for produce and short growing seasons often led to a less healthy diet.

"My parents would constantly be complaining about how they just bought something yesterday and it’s already bad," he said. "And then we end up having to have something like macaroni and cheese for dinner, when they really wanted to have a salad with their dinner that day."

In 2021, Feagin — who is a scientist and engineer by background — returned to his hometown of Dryden, Ont., to be closer to his family and saw the same complaints were still being voiced on social media and throughout the community.
CBC •

A destructive, invasive insect has turned up in Ontario. In the U.S., people are told to stomp it | CBC News

A recent spotted lanternfly discovery in St. Catharines, Ont., is renewing concern about the destructive insect reaching Canada from the United States. There are no established populations of spotted lanternfly in Canada — meaning no confirmed reproducing populations in the wild — but experts say the invasive insect still poses a serious threat to vineyards, fruit trees and hardwoods because it feeds on plant sap and can kill grapevines. Last month, Ontario resident Aidan Dagg found a dead spotted...
CBC •

How Bigfoot teaches honesty, humility and harmony to Indigenous people | CBC Radio

When thinking about Bigfoot or Sasquatch, many people picture the movie Harry and the Hendersons, or grainy footage of a hairy creature walking through the forest. But for many Indigenous people across Turtle Island, Bigfoot is more than a fictional character in pop culture. For some Indigenous people in the Pacific Northwest region of North America, the being is known as Istiyehe, and the Anishinaabe call him Sabe. To some, Bigfoot is a spirit, and to others he’s a relative. Bigfoot brings hones...
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Many kids feel hopeless about climate change. Here's what helps | CBC Climate Change News

Despite being concerned about the high use of fossil fuels and non-renewable resources, 14-year-old Midu Nguyen remains hopeful that the world will take action on climate change.

To her, it’s all about perspective. She takes the same approach to it as she does to tests at school.

“If you have a test and you don’t want to study for it because you think you’re already going to fail it, then you will fail,” she said in an interview with CBC News.
CBC •

City of Richmond to hold information session with landowners on Cowichan Tribes case | CBC News

The City of Richmond has invited registered owners of certain properties on Lulu Island to a meeting next week to help them better understand what's at stake in regards to a B.C. Supreme Court decision from earlier this year that granted Aboriginal title to Quw’utsun (Cowichan) Nation. The meeting scheduled for Oct. 28 in Richmond will take place almost three months after a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled that Cowichan Tribes have the right to 7½ square kilometres of land in Richmond, ruling that...
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The Arctic is heating up quickly, but scientists say polar geoengineering is 'unrealistic' and 'dangerous' | CBC News

For years, scientists have been toying with the idea of artificially modifying the climate through geoengineering — especially in the Arctic, which is warming four times as fast as the rest of the world. The main proposals include artificially thickening sea ice, fertilizing the ocean with iron and releasing sunlight-reflecting particles into the atmosphere to reduce the sun's warming effect. Though the feasibility of these ideas was always questionable, researchers are now saying in a new study t...
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Young people inundated with sports betting ads that doctors warn can be harmful | CBC News

Doctors are calling for restrictions on sports betting ads, saying they are setting youth up for a future of problem gambling. "I have seen people's lives fall apart at all ages, from all walks of life, whether it's an accountant with a career behind him, or a kid who's just looking to maximize his college fund who then had lost it all within a matter of a few weeks," said family physician Dr. Shannon Charlebois, who is also the medical editor at the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ.)
CBC •

Global plastics treaty negotiations fail to reach a consensus — again | CBC News

What was supposed to be the final round of negotiations for a legally binding global treaty to end plastic pollution has failed to reach a consensus. After delegates spent 10 days in Geneva, Switzerland, trying to address plastic pollution, the session was adjourned, with no immediate plans to resume efforts to reach a treaty. The World Wildlife Fund called on ambitious states to pursue a separate deal, with the hope of getting plastics-producing nations on board later.
CBC •

One of the biggest black holes ever was discovered — with a mass of 35 billion suns | CBC News

Astronomers have discovered what they say is among the most massive black holes ever detected.The cosmic behemoth is close to the theoretical upper limit of what's possible in the universe, and is 10,000 times heavier than the black hole at the centre of our own galaxy. It's also 35 billion times as large as our sun, which makes it able to be classified as an ultramassive black hole. Carlos Roberto de Melo-Carneiro, who discovered the black hole, told CBC News it was "among the most massive black...
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Plastic pollution is still a problem. A UN meeting in Geneva is hoping to change that | CBC News

On Thursday, Tony Walker will be heading to Geneva. The Dalhousie University professor will be meeting with the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), which is in its sixth round of talks over an international, legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. The session started Tuesday and is scheduled to take place until Aug. 14, with 175 countries — including Canada — at the negotiating table. While Walker says Canada has made progress in fighting plastic pollution, he believes the count...
CBC •

After a decade of death, Canadian scientists say they've found the sea star killer | CBC News

Giant sea stars are melting away — and now scientists know why Scientists say they have found the cause behind the disease that turns vibrant, 24-armed sea stars into puddles of goo. Melanie Prentice, a research scientist at the Hakai Institute, is part of a team that has spent years investigating the cause of this disease. Their research was published on Monday in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. "The agent is a bacteria. It's called Vibrio pectinicida," Prentice told CBC News.After a de...
CBC •

How 'eco improv' can help manage climate anxiety | CBC News

"I really appreciate you all being here," said Anaïs Pronovost-Morgan, as she welcomed participants to eco improv on Granville Island in Vancouver. "It takes a lot of courage to try something new, and I hope we're going to have some fun and we're going to learn things together today." Last week's event was one of hundreds as part of Pacific Northwest Climate Week, and started with 13 people introducing themselves in a circle. Some hadn't done improv in years, but they were all excited to try it wi...
CBC •

How daytime parties are fuelled by the wellness movement and a need for community | CBC News

Daytime parties are trending across Canada, with people trading alcohol and all-night clubbing for coffee and croissants. One such party is Croissound in Montreal, which is rethinking nightlife culture by gathering local DJs at cafés. So far, it's presented four Canadian events this year, with thousands of attendees. Its most recent party was a free, ticketed event at a popular Montreal food court.
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