Archive for June, 2026

“Clearly, right now, climate change and environmental issues are not perceived as being high priorities for Canadians, and therefore they’re not priorities for the government.” —Steven Guilbeault

The UN designated June 5 as World Environment Day (WED) in 1973, and it is hoped that by holding discussions on that day each year on a particular Nature-oriented theme even ordinary people would join in by making the protection and health of Nature an ongoing priority. Each year, a new country is the ambassador for a highlighted major world ecological concern, and actions are put into place to mitigate those concerns. This year Azerbaijan focuses on climate action and various biodiversity solutions that need to be initiated in light of the ongoing climate crisis in that country. https://tinyurl.com/nature-day

We now find ourselves at a critical crossroads: current climate science is not being considered by governments’ economic policymakers. The University of Exeter and Carbon Tracker have released a report, “Recalibrating Climate Risk,” whichexplains “why economic models used by governments, central banks and investors are increasingly understating climate risks as the world moves towards 2°C.  It shows how this can create a false sense of security—and why decision-makers should act now rather than wait for perfect models.” https://tinyurl.com/tracking-risks

Let’s take two examples that highlight the need to bring together urgent climate and biodiversity concerns that clash with persistent economic growth models.

Earth’s largest creature, the endangered blue whale, is on the cusp of not having enough krill (their main source of nutrition) to eat in the Antarctic, for two reasons. Climate is changing rapidly there, so the sea ice is melting, leading to a lack of protection for baby krill to feed. Furthermore, huge factory ships are sucking up thousands of tonnes of krill in the very areas that blue whales and other marine animals go to for sustenance. The craze for krill oil as a nutritional supplement has led for a demand to double the legal catch limit. For individuals to help blue whales recover, the remedy is simple: don’t buy krill oil. Some major pharmacies are already discontinuing stocking it.

Rhona Kent, polar oceans programme manager at WWF-UK, explains: “Antarctic krill are the powerhouse of the Southern Ocean, and mismanagement of the krill fishery is having a major negative impact on species which depend on krill. WWF is calling for an immediate moratorium on krill fishing and a review of the sustainability certification issued by the Marine Stewardship Council.” Last October, states Yale University’s E360 report, “Norway began lobbying the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, which manages the krill fishery, to double the allowable take in the Southern Ocean. The krill industry is worth as much as US$900 million annually.” https://tinyurl.com/krill-whales

On the other side of the world, Iceland’s pristine cold waters are being contaminated by a burgeoning business of intensive aquatic farming. There, too, rising climate heating is contributing to a crisis for the Icelandic salmon. Currently, new Icelandic legislation is about to capitulate to the salmon industry and permit an increase in the size of the cages used in salmon farming and thus the output, but the science is clear: the parasitic sea lice that are proliferating in the sea cages used to confine the salmon are spreading beyond the cages and feeding on the wild salmon. On top of this, the detritus from this cruel, intensive industry – including microplastics, fish excreta and pesticides – is polluting the ocean. Add to this the warming water through climate breakdown, and the sixty thousand or so wild salmon in the region are in mortal danger. For decades similar concerns have been voiced by scientists regarding British Columbia’s wild salmon population. Watch this video to learn more about Iceland’s citizens’ rejection of larger salmon farms: https://tinyurl.com/aquatic-farms

Despite these and many other threats to life in the ocean, there is a good-news story this World Environment Day: the UN General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to respond vigorously to those who would trash our world for short-term profit by pushing fossil fuels and thereby exacerbating the climate emergency. The small Pacific island state of Vanuatu has successfully led the way to have the International Court of Justice (ICJ) give a major opinion on the responsibility of nations not just to be aspirational in their desires to stem accelerating climate disruption, but also to be held legally accountable.

António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, said: “I welcome the adoption of the General Assembly resolution on the ICJ’s advisory opinion on climate change—a powerful affirmation of international law, climate justice, science and the responsibility of states to protect people from the escalating climate crisis.”

Unsurprisingly, sadly, the United States joined Saudi Arabia, Russia, North Korea and a few other authoritarian nations to vote against the resolution…

It is not only governments that WED inspires to take action. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is putting together climate and biodiversity actions on ways to protect endangered tigers, find solutions for plastics pollution in the ocean, put in place critical mangrove forest protection and restoration in many tropical regions, as well as land forest protection, protection of free-flowing rivers, and the dismantling of some dams that prohibit fish migration. https://tinyurl.com/wwf-actions

On this World Environment Day, which zeros in on the climate crisis, it is particularly North Americans who should be questioning their oil usage, as we are the most profligate consumers of oil products, whether that be by taking airplanes or by buying fast fashion and multiple other throwaway items primarily made from plastics created from petroleum. 

Individuals have been taken hostage by big businesses selling them what they don’t need. “Climate hushing” is a term that signifies how corporations and governments try to hide their commitments to making policies that protect the planet, or worse, abandon positive climate action policies. For example, Donald Trump’s obsessive destruction of America’s federal park system literally erases mention of climate change issues on its website and even signage in the parks. 

But there is also “green hushing” by companies—be they financial or manufacturing ones—that are actually trying to make positive green changes but are fearful that if they publicize their good corporate intentions, right-wing governments will accuse them of prejudice against the fossil fuel industry. Being ecologically responsible is a fine ethical response to climate heating, but others will try to pick apart those commitments and label the actions as “greenwashing”, and even this is potentially a criticism that these well-intentioned companies feel cannot be tolerated. This predicament is extremely serious, as we have already entered a world of high climate risk. And too many companies are hiding from the undisputed truth that climate heating is accelerating and causing misery to billions of people. https://tinyurl.com/hushing-dangers

I agree with former environment and climate minister Steven Gilbeault, as quoted at the beginning of this article, that many people of all ages no longer promote and act in their own lives towards a sane response to potential climate catastrophe. You only have to look at the number of climate-destroying, status-symbol pickup trucks on almost any street to realise that this is on our own doorsteps too. If a politician’s constituents don’t demand from that politician robust climate and biodiversity actions, the prioritization of these concerns is lost. This is a short- and long-term tragedy that is already being played out.

So, what can you and I do on this World Environment Day? We can start by educating ourselves and others, and by taking steps in our own lives that together will add up to meaningful change. Here are some ideas:

• Check your carbon footprint. This will help you to see where you can make improvements. Here’s a good online calculator: https://tinyurl.com/footprint-ca

• If you eat fish, avoid farmed salmon and shrimp and look for wild-caught fish such as herring and mackerel. 

• Avoid buying poorly made, unethically sourced fast fashion. If something is cheap, ask yourself why. Repair what you have, buy second-hand, and buy garments that will last.

• Reject single-use plastics. A reusable stainless-steel bottle or travel cup can replace a one-trip plastic bottle or takeaway cup. A cloth bag is strong and durable and can replace plastic bags.

• Recycle packaging from shopping and deliveries.

• Use natural compost (see https://tinyurl.com/compost-canada) and natural “pest” deterrents (see https://tinyurl.com/natural-pest-control-ca) in the garden, rather than toxic chemicals.

• Swap your large diesel or petrol-fuelled car for a smaller, preferably electric one. Walk or cycle more for short journeys, and car-share or use public transportation for longer ones.

• Contact your representatives and push for more transparency in government, councils, businesses and multinationals.

We can all do something to help.