politics – Page 27 – Things Are Good

Toronto’s Green Roofs Keep Growing

Back in 2006 we first looked at how green roofs were becoming a development issue in Toronto, in 2009 Toronto implemented that green roof bylaw. Then in 2014 we took a look at how North America’s green roof industry is growing.

This year, Toronto has become the hub for green roofs! Torontist took a look into what made this happen and why green roofs are perfect for cities.

There are approximatelyÂ 500 green roofs, big and small, in Toronto. This is thanks toÂ a 2010 bylaw [PDF]Â requiring all new developers to cover between 20 and 60 per cent of their buildings with vegetation. Itâ€™s the first (and, for now, only) regulation of its kind in North America, making Toronto uniquely positioned for environmental design.

The bylaw is why the 41-storyÂ RBC WaterPark Place [PDF]Â at Bay Street and Queens Quay has three green roofs that together could fill a NFL football field.

Developers can opt out of installing anything remotely grassy for a fee. But Jane Welsh, City Hallâ€™s project manager for environmental planning, toldÂ TorontoistÂ only five per cent of buildings choose to go sans-green roof.

Welsh also says municipally-owned buildings install a green roof anytime thereâ€™s a repair or replacement to the top of the building, when feasible.

Atmospheric Acidity Levels Return to Preindustrial Levels

Repairing the damage humans have done to the environment is a slow process but it can be done!

Thanks to policies put in place by leading economies (the article sites the American Clean Air Act from the 1970s) the acidity levels in the atmosphere has returned to a balanced level. This proves that we can combat climate change using existing political tools – we just need the political will!

â€œWe can see that the acid pollution in the atmosphere from industry has fallen dramatically since manmade acid pollution took off in the 1930s and peaked in the 1960s and 70s. In the 1970s, both Europe and the United States adopted the â€˜The clean air act amendmentsâ€™, which required filters in factories, thus reducing acid emissions and this is what we can now see the results of. The pollution of acid in the atmosphere is now almost down to the level it was before the pollution really took off in the 1930s, explains Helle Astrid KjÃ¦r.

What Will We Think of the Banks in Years to Come?

IN this TED talk, Michael Metcalfe wonders how will we look back on banks in the future. Will we think of the banks as an unethical industry that contributed greatly to climate change or as a tool that can be used to help the environment.

Will we do whatever it takes to fight climate change? Back in 2008, following the global financial crisis, governments across the world adopted a “whatever it takes” commitment to monetary recovery, issuing $250 billion worth of international currency to stem the collapse of the economy. In this delightfully wonky talk, financial expert Michael Metcalfe suggests we can use that very same unconventional monetary tool to fund a global commitment to a green future.

AU Passport Launches for Government Workers

The African Union has announced that a significant step has been made to creating free movement between borders. That significant step is a special passport for government officials and head of state who need to travel between countries. The passport is only useful for a small group of people but it shows that the AU is on its way to creating a stronger union with free movement for the population.

Having a visa-free passport is instrumental to the creation of a borderless Africa which will, in turn, accelerate socio-economic growth. According to Acha Leke, the Director of Mckinsey & Company, the passport is essential in order to boost tourism revenue and increase intra-African trade.

The release of the AU passport is a significant mile stone for the outgoing AU Chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. In her last opening speech on Sunday, she noted that with the launch of the passport, the body has been able to cross off two big items on its to-do list. At the summit, Dlamini Zuma presented the new passport to the incoming chairperson, H.E. Idriss Deby Itno, the President of Chad, and Paul Kagame, the Rwandan President.

Ontario Adopts $8.3 Billion Climate Change Plan

Climate change is the biggest threat to human wellbeing and if we don’t do anything about it’s inevitable that society as we know it will collapse. This is why nations around the world are acting to change their policies and support things like renewable energy and better water conservation. There are so many minor changes that can add up to big change, and that’s what Ontario as set out to do.

The province of Ontario has announced a $8.3 billion climate change action plan that will reduce waste and encourage people who drive to switch to less damaging vehicles. It’s being praised by all sides of the province.

Patrick DeRochie of Environmental Defence called the Liberals’ plan “a very positive development in climate action.”

Greenpeace said Ontario is on the right track by trying to phase out fossil fuels and encourage construction of “net zero” carbon homes, and by recognizing that climate change is an opportunity as well as a threat.

“Lots of bad things will happen if we don’t break our addiction to fossil fuels, but there are also a lot of good things â€” green jobs, cleaner air â€” that come with action on climate change,” said Greenpeace Canada spokesman Keith Stewart.