Ramblings of a 70-year old: canada

Showing posts with label canada. Show all posts

Thursday, December 1, 2022

COP15, the December nature summit in Montreal, cautions about a human driven mass extinction looming ahead

Described as the lesser-known equivalent of the climate crisis, humans do have a “once-in-a-decade" chance to fix it. In other words, it is necessary to apply brakes to the destruction of life-sustaining ecosystems. It seems global wildlife populations have plummeted nearly 70 percent in just 50 years. The result is mindboggling – experts say an unprecedented one million species are now at risk of disappearing off the earth forever. International talks are coming up in Canada next week. Its aim would be to strike a global biodiversity treaty in order to apply brakes on the nature crisis. It could be similar to the historic Paris Agreement that tackled climate breakdown. Former French diplomat Laurence Tubiana, integral to the Paris deal, said protecting climate and life-sustaining nature are "inseparable challenges, but our global governance system has splintered them." A mass extinction looms – and we have a 'once-in-a-decade chance' to fix it. The December nature summit in Montreal proposes to reverse wildlife decline by 2030, as well as to protect 30 percent of land and sea. There would be a global biodiversity goal to "direct targets, laws, policies and funding at all levels and regions, much like the Paris Agreement has started doing for climate action.” That is what Ms Tubiana says.

Professor Alexandre Antonelli, director of science Kew Gardens explains – “The climate and nature crises are "intertwined." Biodiversity is absolutely critical to our lives and we losing it at an accelerating speed." Each country has its own interests and draws battle lines over things like pollution and cash. The previous global plan to stop species extinction and habitat destruction did not help and the world failed to achieve a single 2020 target. Professor Alexandre Antonelli cautions - "It is absolutely essential that we get it right this time." Otherwise, we may "reach a tipping point, after which it may be impossible or extremely hard to revert the loss of nature." The death of the Amazon rainforest is the best example. It regulates the world's climate and provides vital water to nearby industries and megacities. However, humans have chopped down nearly 18 percent of the forests. Once it reaches 25 percent, the rainforest will stop producing water and turn into a dry savannah. Instead of absorbing climate-heating carbon dioxide, the new ecosystem would begin to unleash it. Campaigner Ruth Davis cites a drought in Argentina in 2017-18, exacerbated by deforestation in the Amazon. It inflicted $4.6bn loss to the economy of one of the biggest agricultural producers in Latin America.

Monday, November 28, 2022

Police in Alberta, Canada, chase ostriches escaped from their enclosure, one of the birds killed when hit by a car

Police usually chase criminals and those who break the law. Very seldom, they have to chase huge birds. This has actually happened in Canada. The ostriches escaped from their enclosure and the police had to give chase. The animals tried to evade the police. It was a joint effort of the Taber Police Service, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as they tried to herd the ostriches. All of the escaped ostriches belonged to the same person. The police wanted to ensure that the animals' owners could safely capture them. Even non-police persons tried to grab the animals because they posed a danger to traffic on the road. It was a difficult task and a passenger in a vehicle did reach out to grab one of the animals by its neck but was not able to retain his grip. The ostrich fell to the ground but it ran away. Animal websites recommend grabbing an ostrich by its neck is necessary. That will prevent it from pecking. This is the advice of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Ultimately, it was possible to capture most of the escaped animals and efforts were on to secure the ones that remained free. Ostriches attempt to evade police after escaping Canadian enclosure. A moving car hit one of the ostriches and it became a casualty.

At times, RCMP has to involve in capturing horses and cattle but does not expect to respond to ostriches on the loose. As RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Troy Savinkoff says - "Ostrich certainly is something that we're very much less familiar with, and I can confirm that particular investigator who received their first report did not anticipate chasing ostriches during that shift.” Incidentally, ostriches are the fastest-running bird in the world. They have the ability to travel continuously at speeds of 30 to 37 miles per hour and can sprint up to 43 miles per hour. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute has provided this information.

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Niagara Falls is a tourist attraction and there is a huge tunnel buried deep below the cascade that had been off-limits to visitors

The rocks beneath the Niagara Falls lies in the border between the US state of New York and Canada's province of Ontario. These rocks are honeycombed with chambers created to harness the powerful forces of the waterfall. There is a 2,198-foot tunnel, built more than a century ago on the Canadian side. It is now open to tourists. They can move about in the tunnel and see the awesome scale of these engineering marvels. Since July 2022, it has become a part of the decommissioned Niagara Parks Power Station tour. The tunnel in an example of the pioneering work that helped bring this corner of North America into the modern age. The power station operated from 1905 until 2006. It diverted water from the mighty Niagara River to run giant generators that electrified regional industry and contributed to the nearby Great Lakes port of Buffalo. It seems the region around the waterfall, was once a hub of activity for those who wanted to cash in on harnessing the power of water. A huge tunnel has opened below Niagara Falls.

Today, the Niagara Parks station is the world's only intact hydroelectric plant of its era. Before reaching the tunnel, visitors to the power station can see a scale model of the massive engineering works that went into converting the pounding waters into electricity. There is a glass elevator to take the visitors down to the bottom is the tunnel where the water exits. The tunnel itself is an engineering marvel. Thousands of workers excavated the shale beneath the main generating room. They used equipment like lanterns, dynamite, pickaxes and shovels. Incidentally, the tunnel resembles a fortress and they did it all without any electricity. A visit to the power station and tunnel takes around two hours. There is also an evening show involving an overnight halt. Niagara Falls is a place of natural beauty and an example of how natural forces continue to shape our modern lives.

Monday, August 29, 2022

Meghan Markle says she and her husband were "happy" to leave the UK

In another tell-tale interview to a New York magazine, Meghan Markle admits she and her husband Prince Harry were "happy" to leave the UK. The main reason was apparently adjustment. In her words - "just by existing, we were upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy." She went on to add that the two of them were prepared to go anywhere in the Commonwealth. They wanted to move out of their life in Britain and relocate to Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. That was before deciding on a home in California. The Duchess of Sussex explains that she did make efforts to patch up with both her in-laws and members of her own family and she is “still healing" from the ordeal. . Meghan’s interview comes amid speculation she and Harry might noit be able to visit the Queen at Balmoral during their forthcoming visit to Britain next week due to security issues.

Meghan recently launched her Archetypes podcast on Spotify. In it, she reveals that in spite of her son Archie narrowly escaping a fire in his bedroom, she and Harry had to go ahead with their visit to South Africa. The couple now live in Montecito. This is a small coastal village north of Los Angeles. On the subject of her relationship with Prince Harry, she said they were like "salt and pepper." This is because they "always move together." The couple has made some plans related to their upcoming trip to the UK. They will make appearances to "support several charities close to their hearts." Their itinerary includes a trip to Manchester on 5 September for the One Young World Summit. Later they will visit Germany for the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023 One Year To Go event.

Friday, August 26, 2022

California to go electric by 2035 with more climate-friendly vehicles

Let us have more climate-friendly vehicles is the intention of California. It is evolving plans to give more thrust to manufacture vehicles that run on electricity or hydrogen. The state wants to wean people way from gas-powered cars. Automobile manufacturers need to explore alternatives. Of course, people can continue to operate gas-fueled vehicles and purchase used ones after 2035. The broad plan is to permit one-fifth of sales after 2035 to be plug-in hybrids that can run on batteries and gas. It would mean an end to filling up at the local gas station. Moreover, the change over from gas to electric cars will be environment friendly and reduce carbon emissions and air pollutants. Incidentally, California is the seventh-largest oil producing state. Its output is on the decline in view of its willingness to push forward its climate goals. Consequently, the transition might be painful in some parts of the state. California Poised to Phase Out Sale of New Gas-Powered Cars. As Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said - “The climate crisis is solvable if we focus on the big, bold steps necessary to stem the tide of carbon pollution."

The Governor had announced the 2035 goal two years ago. Subsequently, regulators have worked out the details of the action that has to be taken to ensure that our planet can cater to future generations. The road is ridden with practical hurdles. One of these is the scarcity of adequate reliable power and charging stations. At present, there are about 80,000 stations in public places. This is against a requirement of about 250,000 by 2025. The challengers include the lack of infrastructure, access to materials needed to make batteries, and issues related to the supply chain. There is a need for the authorities to address these hurdles. Climate officials in California believe its new policy will be the most ambitious in the world. It has already set clear benchmarks for ramping up electric vehicle sales over the next dozen years. This is now a global target. The European Parliament, Canada and China are in the same frequency.