Legal solutions to ease your climate woes
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- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
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Canadians will be heading to the polls next month, and as a non-partisan legal organization, we’re gearing up to make sure that voters have the tools they need to make this election count for conservation, climate justice, Indigenous rights, and a healthy, just transition away from the global fossil fuel economy.
The election announcement came on the heels of the most recent IPCC climate report, which maps out the catastrophic consequences if we fail to take real climate action. Canadians need a government that will do whatever it takes to protect communities and the environment from the climate emergency, today, and over the long term.
Despite climate-related events killing, injuring and displacing British Columbians this summer, the provincial government has not yet planned for the climate crisis with the urgency it deserves.As wildfires continue to rage in the province, and heat waves remain on the horizon, we mobilized 39 community organizations to take Premier Horgan to task for the delays and vagueness in BC's Climate Preparedness and Adaptation Strategy – which, unless it is strengthened, fails to prepare us for what's to come. Physicians, lawyers call on BC to investigate thousands of Heat Dome injuries
Earlier this month West Coast, along with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE),
warned that the Heat Dome in late June may have caused
an estimated 5,000-6,000 heat-related injuries. We asked the BC government to help health authorities account for climate injuries, and to help at-risk communities prepare for heat waves.After experiencing the extreme heat first hand from her home in Ashcroft, our Communications Specialist
Julia Kidder reflects on the climate planning gaps left by the provincial government that end up being filled by communities.
Why Canada cannot rely on discretion to protect us from the risks of coal
Recent announcements suggest Canada is rethinking its approach to approving coal mines – but it's all based on the Environment Minister's discretion Why not make it official by updating the regulations under Canada’s Impact Assessment Act? Staff Lawyer Anna Johnston explains why this step matters for the climate, fish and healthy waters. Let’s focus on ocean protection this fall
Marine protected areas (MPAs) have clear benefits for the life aquatic, but as the latest IPCC report has made clear, protecting the ocean is also key to fighting climate change In her first blog for West Coast, Staff Lawyer Erin Gray emphasizes why Canada should not delay in implementing the new MPA Network in the Great Bear Sea as part of its climate planning. A new BC law for biodiversity and ecosystem health
From protests to scientific analysis, old-growth forests have been much in the news in British Columbia in recent months. So what does a legal lens bring to this debate?Our Executive Director and Senior Counsel Jessica Clogg explains how an overarching biodiversity law could fix policy gaps that put forests, Indigenous territories, cultures and economies at risk. 2021 law students zoom through a unique summer at West Coast
Every summer at West Coast, our team gets the opportunity to work with a new slate of eager law students from BC and beyond.Read about what Jack, Russell, Jenna & Rebekah were up to this summer and where they're headed next!
UPCOMING WEBINAR: Environmental Justice in Action
Advancing environmental justice, working through an anti-oppressive lens, and harnessing the law to co-create an equitable, sustainable future – what does this look like in action?
On Thurs. August 26th (12-1:30 pm PDT), hear from West Coast experts and panelists about how different legal tools and strategies can be used to help level the playing field and protect land, water and communities – with solutions grounded in both Indigenous and Canadian law. Register here for free.
We're seeking a Volunteer Board Treasurer!
If you've got strong environmental values and a background in accounting and/or financial administration, particularly in the charitable sector, we'd love to hear from you. Check out the details and apply by Sept. 6th.
Oh, by the way – during this hectic month of extreme heat and wildfires, West Coast was one of many Canadian environmental organizations forced to deal with the needless distraction of the Inquiry into Anti-Alberta Energy Campaigns, which targeted us for our work on climate change. We are proud of the work we do, and we’re going to keep at it. You can read about our response to the Alberta Inquiry here.
BC is continuing to experience worsening climate conditions including extreme heat, wildfires and drought. By supporting West Coast Environmental Law Research Foundation, your generosity today can help us hold decision-makers accountable. Please consider making a donation.
*If you have donated recently or are a monthly donor, thank you for taking action in this time of need.*
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The Legal E-Brief is a publication of West Coast Environmental Law Association