Rally for Green Investment
On April 4th, Toronto350 teamed up with the Fossil Banks, No Thanks! campaign to lead a demonstration outside Toronto Dominion Bank’s Annual Shareholders’ Meeting. Toronto350 demanded that the bank’s lending and financing activities align with a safe climate. Independently, TD shareholders at the meeting considered a proposal to withdraw financing from greenhouse gas polluting projects. (Photo above by Milan Ilnyckyj).
Read moreClimate advocates urge change at TD Bank Annual Meeting
For immediate release: April 1, 2019
Toronto350
Climate advocates urge change at TD Bank Annual Meeting
Thursday, April 4, 8:30 am
The Design Exchange, 234 Bay St, Toronto
On Thursday, April 4, Toronto350 will team up with the Fossil Banks, No Thanks! campaign to lead a demonstration outside Toronto Dominion Bank’s Annual Shareholders’ Meeting. Environmentalists are demanding that the bank’s lending and financing activities align with a safe climate. Independently, TD shareholders at the meeting will consider a proposal to withdraw financing from greenhouse gas polluting projects. TD’s record is documented in a new report on the global banking industry Banking on Climate Change – Fossil Fuel Finance Report Card 2019 .
Read moreThe Federal Government - Climate Action, Pipelines and Climate Justice
Remarks delivered by Trudeau at a Liberal Climate Action Rally in Toronto on March 4th, were partly geared toward pressuring provinces that are resisting federal climate plans. Trudeau stated that climate change leaves us without any time to spare, that pollution should be paid for and that we are still waiting for a climate plan from the federal conservatives.
However, the contradiction between the existing government's climate plans and their continued support for fossil fuel extraction, prompted groups concerned about effective climate action and Indigenous rights to gather outside, in front of the Danforth Music Hall. The event was advertised for 6-8 and despite a temperature of -9 with wind chill, about two dozen protesters arrived in advance of six pm.
Read moreResponse to NEB Reconsideration
In August 2018, when the Federal Court of Appeal ruled that the review of the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) fell short and overturned its approval, many of us felt an upsurge of hope. The National Energy Board (NEB) had a do-over - another chance to apply a thorough climate test, spare the Southern Resident Orcas greater existential stress, and protect the coast from the heightened chance of a bitumen spill. Canada also had another opportunity to honestly consult and seek consent from the First Nations who’s lives and lands the TMX impacts.
Read moreClimate Change in Sri Lanka
The effects of climate change are here. They are currently being experienced around the world. Some places are already dealing with near-constant disaster, and others are doing their best to prevent the worst consequences. Here, Hary, a current Toronto350 member, informs us about his home country: Sri Lanka.
Read moreA Look at Ontario's New Environment Plan
As the IPPC report, the recent Lancet report on health and climate change and others show, we are in a climate emergency and have very few years left to act, to keep global temperatures from warming over 1.5°C. Every incremental temperature increase matters, bringing with it more disastrous effects, such as life-threatening heat waves and extreme weather. As the environmental commissioner writes in her 2018 report, Climate Action in Ontario: What’s Next (ER Report), ”if we continue at current global emission rates, the toddlers of today will see severe, widespread and irreversible impacts, far beyond what they may be able to adapt to….Every tonne counts, and every action matters.”1
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Toronto350 Stages a Die-in in Solidarity with Extinction Rebellion
On November 17th, the People’s Assembly for Climate Justice held a day long event with workshops, panels and break-out sessions on topics that included Indigenous Sovereignty and Self-determination, Labour and Economics and Sustainable Alternatives. During lunch hour, in solidarity with the social movement RiseUp Uk and Extinction Rebellion, a group led by Brian Young for Toronto350 staged a die-in. See the group, along with Jasper the dog, in the pictures below.
Read moreThe Trans Mountain Expansion Pipeline and the National Interest
Neighbours Deliver IPCC Climate Report to MPs
The IPCC Report and Climate Action
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released its special report on the impacts of climate change at 1.5°C and 2°C.
The results are clear - if the world keeps warming below 1.5°C, it will prevent an already dire situation from becoming so much worse. Among other impacts, ocean acidification, forest fires, falling crop yields, heat deaths and the spread of vector-borne disease all increase as the temperature rises.
As Hans-Otto Pörtner, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group II articulates, “Every extra bit of warming matters, especially since warming of 1.5ºC or higher increases the risk associated with long-lasting or irreversible changes, such as the loss of some ecosystems.”1
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