Canadian Court Stuffs Teal Cedar Products, TU Delft Opens Climate Action Hub, 12K Mayors for Climate, Earthshot Prize Finalist–Wota Box!

COURT DENIES TEAL CEDAR INJUNCTION EXTENSION

A provincial court in Canada has refused to extend an injunction against protesters demonstrating against old-growth logging. In determining whether to renew the injunction, Thompson was asked to look at the irreparable harm to the logging company’s business from protests – and the public interest.

In June, the B.C. government approved a request from three Vancouver Island First Nations and deferred logging in about 2,000 hectares of old-growth forest in the Fairy Creek watershed on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island and central Walbran areas for two years.

Teal Cedar Products had since April used an injunction to stop protesters from interfering with the company’s road construction and harvesting operations. But Teal’s application to have the injunction extended for another year was rejected on Tuesday by the British Columbia supreme court.

Protesters have been camped out in the area for more than a year to defend what they say is the last unprotected old-growth forest on southern Vancouver Island.

Royal Canadian Mounties have arrested more than 1,100 people since the blockades began, including more than 100 people who have been arrested more than once as part of the largest act of civil disobedience in recent Canadian history. The judge cited in his ruling that police conduct has been so troubling that to extend the order would place the court’s own reputation at risk.

Activist groups had previously called on the courts to recognize the value of the ancient forests when determining the public interest. Judge Thompson admitted that while “a powerful case might be made” for protecting towering western red cedar, Douglas fir and Sitka spruce, any ruling on that issue was likely outside of the court’s constitutional role.

B.C. Premier John Horgan called the ongoing protests at Fairy Creek “intractable” during an unrelated news conference before the court decision was announced. “Is this an intractable problem? Yes it is,” Horgan said. “Does it frustrate me? Every single day. But I think the majority of British Columbians understand that if we are going to make progress on difficult issues, we have to do it together.” 

DEEPER DIVE: VCIsland News, Wood Business, National Observer

DELFT UNIVERSITY OPENS CLIMATE ACTION HUB IN THE HAGUE

On Friday 24 September The Technical University Delft opened its Climate Action Hub in the Wijnhaven building on its Campus in The Hague. The Climate Action Hub is a physical meeting place where administrators and policy makers, knowledge institutions, citizens and businesses can work together on concrete solutions to climate challenges. 

The Climate Action Hub is part of TU Delft Climate Action’s Program. Established in April, 2021, TU Delft’s goal with the program is to take the lead in tackling climate change. So again, no big deal. TU Delft is investing more in climate research and education, and stepping up its cooperation with societal partners.

TU Delft’s climate action research program consists of four themes: climate science, mitigation (reducing the severity of the effects of climate change), adaptation and climate governance (setting up a system by which an organization is controlled and operates, and the mechanisms by which it, and its people, are held accountable).

TU Delft has a long history of working on climate issues, including its 2011 involvement in the construction of the Sand Motor, a large artificial sand bank. The Sand Motor was designed to be an natural alternative to coastal land management (i.e. erosion control). It’s innovation is that it was built to work with the ocean, rather than against it.

Said Professor Herman Russchenberg, chairman/scientific director of the Climate Action program and TU Delft’s Pro Vice Rector Climate Action, “We need to tackle the consequences of climate change jointly as a society.”

DEEPER DIVE: TU Delft Climate Action, Delft Sustainabilty, The Sand Motor

GLOBAL COVENANT OF MAYORS FOR CLIMATE & ENERGY

We here in America have Climate Mayors—a coalition of over 400 mayors, a bipartisan network of more than 470 U.S. mayors demonstrating climate leadership through meaningful actions in their communities, and representing 48 states and 74 million Americans. Kinda bad ass, until we discovered the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.

That group represents almost 12,000 cities and over 1 billion people. But exactly who are they, and why do they matter to us? GCoM cities are united in their shared goals to increase access to renewable, clean energy, build healthy environments, and promote initiatives and best practices that will accelerate the fight against climate change.

And in plain English?

There’s an old saying, “All politics is local.” The reality is fighting climate change is local, too. You may have seen that in your own life. The concept of climate change is far too big for people to get their arms around the whole thing. But give cities, and citizens a way forward, and the collective impact of cities and local governments, will become a force in realizing a vision of a sustainable future.

GCoM focuses on three initiatives to achieve their goals—1.) Data-based solutions: evidence-based foundation measures and manages cities and local governments’ climate ambition and progress in a standard and consistent way to drive innovation and investment.

2.) City Climate Finance: Its platform to facilitate and mobilize cities’ access to climate finance and technical assistance for critical investment in ways to reduce the effects of climate change in urban settings, and the establishment of climate resilience projects.

3.) Research and Innovation: GCoM’s city-led research and innovation initiative to identify cities’ data, research, and technology priorities and equip them with the tools, investment, and partnerships needed to meet their full climate and sustainability ambition.

The mission of GCoM is “to serve cities and local governments to raise the bar on the climate by providing a robust agenda for change.”

DEEPER DIVE: Global Covenant of Mayors, Climate Mayors

EARTHSHOT PRIZE FINALIST—WOTA BOX

Nearly 40 percent of the world’s population is on track to experience “water stress” by 2050. Climate change and population growth are already driving shortages across the world.

WOTA, a Japanese start-up and Earthshot Prize finalist, wants to improve water security by helping people reuse wastewater. The goal of WOTA is to Reduce the environmental load of water usage. Through new water technology developments, WOTA will achieve both water freedom and environmental responsibility, leading to a more creative and sustainable way of life.

Founded in 2014, the company’s first product, WOTA BOX, is the only solution of its kind, turning more than 98 percent of water waste into clean fresh water.

A fraction of the size of a typical water treatment plant, and over 50 times more efficient, WOTA BOX can be delivered at scale. Plus, installation requires no existing infrastructure.

The wota box solution has already had an impact. In recent years in Japan, more than 20,000 people used WOTA Boxes after floods, typhoons, and earthquakes cut off water supplies.

DEEPER DIVE: EARTHSHOT PRIZE, WOTA