Nelson,

The ocean is one of the world's most incredible wonders, teeming with diverse life and shaping the culture of millions. But corporate greed is threatening its future. Industrial fishing, pollution, and climate change are pushing ocean life to its limits.   On this World Oceans Day, I want to draw your attention to a pressing issue: the looming threat of deep sea mining. The deep ocean, Earth's last untouched frontier, is home to mesmerizing biodiversity and crucial for the livelihoods of millions, especially in the Pacific. [1] Yet, some countries and corporations are racing to extract metals like cobalt, nickel, manganese, and copper from the seabed, under the guise of a clean energy transition.   We must act now to protect this vital part of our planet.   Over 800,000 people worldwide have joined the movement against deep sea mining. We need your support to increase political pressure and ensure Canada holds the line on a moratorium at the International Seabed Authority assembly that will take place at the end of July. [2]

Nelson, you’ve already taken action to ratify the Global Oceans Treaty. I now invite you to sign the petition to stop deep sea mining before it starts and keep the pressure on Canada to maintain its commitment to protect our deep oceans.

Help protect the deep sea

For our oceans and our future,   Sarah Head of Plastic and Oceans, Greenpeace Canada

Hot Air for sale!

Nelson,   Have you heard about Shell's '2-for-1’ deal from our governments?   We just released a new investigative report, Selling Hot Air, which revealed that Shell made over $200 million selling carbon credits for reductions that never happened. All while lobbying against carbon emission cap regulations for the fossil fuel industry. Talk about multi-tasking!   It all started in 2008, when Shell launched the ‘Quest’ carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. It was the first, and remains the only, CCS project in the oil sands and was touted by the Alberta government as a solution to oil sands pollution.    The project was based on carbon credits which represent one tonne of CO2 emissions that have been reduced or removed from the atmosphere. These are then sold or traded to fulfill corporate or political sustainability goals, meet climate targets, or demonstrate climate leadership. Unfortunately, in this case, they were just another false pretense for delaying real climate action.

© Jiri Rezac / Greenpeace. Aerial view of seismic lines and a tar sands mine in the Boreal forest north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, 2009.

Our investigation revealed that Shell lobbied for, and received a ‘2-for-1’ deal during 2008 negotiations with the Government of Alberta to help subsidize this CCS project.   “The Government of Alberta allowed Shell to claim two tonnes of emissions credits for every tonne it buried underground. This meant they could, in effect, sell each tonne twice, which means half of the total emissions credits sold were for reductions that never happened,” explained Keith Stewart, Greenpeace Canada’s Senior Energy Strategist.   By the end of 2022, Quest CCS had diverted 5.7 million tonnes of emissions, but thanks to this deal, the Government of Alberta cashed Shell out twice, and effectively paid them for capturing 11.4 million tonnes of carbon. All while increasing their fossil fuel production.   And here’s the kicker: since 2008, Shell has received $777 million in direct subsidies from the provincial and federal government, meaning Canadian taxpayers have subsidized 93% of the costs for this CCS project. The deal came to a close in 2022, but the damage has been done. We’ve all been swindled.   “The federal government is currently drafting a regulation to cap greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the oil and gas sector. We exposed the costs of the Shell ‘2-for-1’ deal to ensure that there wouldn’t be similar loopholes in the new regulation, and we hope our supporters will support the proposed GHG cap,” stresses Stewart.    We’re asking oil companies and governments to be accountable, phase out fossil fuel production, and instead support communities to transition to renewable energy. For the sake of our youth, future generations and the planet, we must build an economy based on efficient, fair and clean renewable energy.

Nelson, as a Greenpeace supporter, your voice helps keep the heat on big polluters like Shell, and those who enable them.

Together we’ll continue to keep the pressure on. As proof that we can achieve incredible things together, I’ve included examples of recent global campaign updates and victories below.

In determination and gratitude,   Stephanie Hulsie Supporter Communications Manager, Greenpeace Canada   P.S. I always look forward to your feedback on these newsletters, so please keep it coming by sharing your rating below. And as always, if you’d like to share this story with others, you can share this link!

GLOBAL CAMPAIGN UPDATES

Monaco ratifies the Global Ocean Treaty We’re one step closer to the Global Ocean Treaty becoming reality! Monaco has ratified the Global Ocean Treaty, becoming the first European country to do so and bringing the total number of ratifications to five. For the Treaty to become reality, 60 governments must ratify it and incorporate it into their national legislation by 2025. To urge your government to ratify the Treaty, sign the petition here.

Canadian organizations unite to ban plastics Following the fourth round of UN negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty, Canadian organizations have formed a coalition to push the Canadian government to ban plastics. The coalition includes Greenpeace Canada, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, David Suzuki Foundation, Environmental Defence Canada, and Oceana Canada. The coalition will be represented by lawyers from Ecojustice, who will intervene in the plastic industry lawsuit against the federal plastics ban.

Greenpeace Africa pushes government to address unauthorized fishing vessels Here’s a victory for transparency in Senegal’s fishing industry! Greenpeace Africa called for the publication of the list of vessels authorized to fish in Senegalese waters — and the government agreed! Greenpeace was then able to check the list and find unregulated vessels that were flying the Senegalese flag. This revelation led the President to request an audit of all vessels flying the Senegalese flag in order to identify irregularities. Transparency in the fishing industry is critical for the protection of marine ecosystems — and Greenpeace is playing an important role in making it happen.

How would you rate this month’s newsletter?

SAVE THE CHILDREN!

In the last thirty years, the number of children living in war zones has almost doubled. In conflict, girls are at a significantly higher risk of sexual and gender-based violence – including forced marriage – while boys are exposed to harms such as killing, maiming, and abduction.

Women and girls are also more likely to go hungry because they will skip meals and eat less nutritious food to ensure others in the household are prioritized. 

Girls also face additional risks such as limited access to essential services, including health care and education.

Yet their experiences are much more likely to go unreported and overlooked.

Girls’ voices matter and we need to hear them. Importantly, we must uphold and protect all children’s rights.

 

The surrender.

 

Me and my Cat. I am a human and you are a Cat! At least I am settled about that! But does it matter? Because once you were a tiny ball of Black fur I bought from behind a pet store window... A poor little thing trapped in a box... I thought! And so tell me, Cat... After the many battles we fought... You being so little and so brave... When did it change? When did you become my master and I your slave? But It does not matter about that... Because once I was lonely... And now I'm not! Poet: Nelson Joseph Raglione human4us2.blogspot.com

BIRTH OF A FLOWER CHILD.

 

BIRTH OF A FLOWER CHILD.

I was alone in Vancouver, Canada, sitting on a park bench and wondering 

what to do with the rest of my life, when a young pretty girl stepped in 

front of me...

"Hello Sir!

You look sad?

Take this flower...

Please be glad!

No! no! It's free...

It comes from me!"

---------------------

Today, older and wiser, I sit on a park bench in Montreal, Canada, and I

understand how difficult it is finding love...when chasing money and power....however...

I can win a heart forever with a single flower! 

---------------------------------------------------------

POET: NELSON JOSEPH RAGLIONE.

-----------------------------------------------------

Free to copy.

Courage in the face of power...Greenpeace.

Hi,

As you’re reading this, myself and fellow Greenpeace activists are outside of the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, where world delegates are negotiating the Global Plastics Treaty this week. While they are gathered right here in Canada to discuss the role that plastic will play in our future, we have brought a “global plastic factory” to them to remind them of the real villain: Big Plastic.

Nelson, as host country, Canada has the opportunity to lead on an impactful treaty. Can you amplify our message and urge Justin Trudeau and Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault to put people and the planet over plastics and profit?

SEND A MESSAGE

These negotiations are a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address the plastic pollution crisis on a scale proportionate to its impact. Plastics are everywhere: they have found their way to the deepest parts of our oceans, to the highest mountain peaks and maybe worst of all - into our bodies. [1,2,3] And with 99% of plastics being made from fossil fuels [4], plastics are a problem throughout their entire lifecycle—from extraction to waste, from production to pollution.

We simply cannot afford this occasion to go to waste: people and the planet must be put before plastic and profit. If business as usual continues, plastic production could triple by 2050. [5] We need Canada and the delegates from around the world to make the right choice and deliver the strongest Global Plastics Treaty possible—one that cuts plastic production.

Thank you for your support,   Louis Mobilization Campaigner, Greenpeace Canada

Sources: [1] Human footprint in the abyss: 30 year records of deep-sea plastic debris, 2018, Marine Policy, Volume 96. [2] Reaching New Heights in Plastic Pollution—Preliminary Findings of Microplastics on Mount Everest, One Earth, Volume 3, 2020. [3] Discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood, Environment International, Volume 163, 2022. [4] Fossils, Plastics, & Petrochemical Feedstocks, Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL). [5] Reducing Plastic Production to Achieve Climate Goals: Key Considerations for the Plastics Treaty Negotiations, September, 2023, Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)

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In the U.S. extreme heat kills more than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes.

On average, extreme heat kills more than 1,200 people in the United States each year, the CDC estimates. That’s “more than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined,” said Rick Spinrad, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And heat-related illnesses are even more pervasive, having led to almost 120,000 emergency visits last year (SN: 9/6/23).

Ahead of the hot summer months, federal weather and health officials have released an online tool that forecasts the impact of heat on health for people in the United States. The HeatRisk Forecast Tool allows users to find the health risk posed by heat for their local area.NOAA

Using temperature forecasts from NOAA’s National Weather Service and heat and health data from the CDC, HeatRisk shows where rising temperatures are likely to increase heat-related health impacts. It rates risk with a color-oriented index — from pale green for no risk to deep magenta for extreme risk — based on several factors: how unusual temperatures are for the time of year, the duration of the unusual heat, whether nights will offer cool reprieve and whether temperatures will be hot enough to affect health. Users can zoom into the color-coded map and find local heat forecasts for the week. Another part of the site provides tips on how to recognize signs of heat-related illness and how to stay safe. A Spanish-language version is also offered.

 “When it comes to heat, it’s never too early to prepare,” Spinrad said.

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