Climate Justice Resource Centre

The Climate Justice Resource Centre has been developed as a follow-up to the Lenten book study group on Saving Us by Katharine Hayhoe, who is a Canadian Christian Climate Scientist.  As Christians we know that God makes us stewards of this planet. In Genesis 1:29 we find our mandate. In Proverbs 8, Wisdom/Sophia is calling to us at the street corners imploring us to act or the consequences will be dire.

I have volunteered to coordinate a collection of resource information to be posted in the Parish News and maintained on the church website.  Please send any resources you wish to share to me: brruttan14@gmail.com. Barbara Ruttan 

Resources Added on a regular basis:

November 27, 2022

The Birth of Hope by Dr. Sylvia Keesmaat

This Advent, the PWRDF is offering an online daily meditation focused on Creation care: climate action, they invite us to deepen our understanding of Women and Climate Change in the Bible.  “Whenever a baby is born, hope is renewed – hope for this new life, hope for the mother who birthed this new life, hope for the future and for the world. As we enter [Advent] we live and wait, in hope, for the birth of one woman’s child…”, 

Dr. Keesmaat connects the women of the biblical texts to our own hopes and griefs in this time of climate crisis. Subscribe below to receive the resource daily starting November 27, or visit pwrdf.org/advent2022 to download the entire PDF.  

Subscribe to the 2022 Advent Resource 

November 18, 2022

Growing opposition to Bill 23 across Ontario https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiYU7LP6oXw   The Government of Ontario is proposing Ontario Bill 23 – which it refers to as the “More Homes Built Faster Act “. It is a complex policy and legislation package which changes zoning rules, wetland evaluation, conservation authority powers, regional planning power and more.   

Here is a link to a YouTube called “Bait and Switch: Understanding Bill 23, The More Sprawl, Fewer Wetlands Act “, which explains what is included in Bill 23, plus the intension to expand into the Greenbelt areas around Hamilton. It also highlights that Indigenous Leaders are not being included or consulted in these plans.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUXtBOaynR4   Environmental Defence is a Canadian environmental organization that works with the government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities. Here is a link to their website for more information and opportunities for action.   https://act.environmentaldefence.ca/page/116359/action/1?ea.tracking.id=YTwebinar

November 11, 2022

The Government of Ontario is proposing Ontario Bill 23 – which it refers to as the “More Homes Built Faster Act “. It is a complex policy and legislation package which changes zoning rules, wetland evaluation, conservation authority powers, regional planning power and more.  Here is a link to a YouTube called “Bait and Switch: Understanding Bill 23, The More Sprawl, Fewer Wetlands Act “, which explains what is included in Bill 23, plus the intension to expand into the Greenbelt areas around Hamilton. It also highlights that Indigenous Leaders are not being included or consulted in these plans.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUXtBOaynR4  

Environmental Defence is a Canadian environmental organization that works with the government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities. Here is a link to their website for more information and opportunities for action. https://act.environmentaldefence.ca/page/116359/action/1?ea.tracking.id=YTwebinar 

Noveber 6, 2022

 COP27 in Egypt November 6-8 2022  

As we all come together to address the needs of Stewardship for St. John, let us also address the needs of Stewardship for God's creation - both are urgent and important.   The concerns of controlling high fossil fuel emissions will be highlighted in the news at the upcoming COP27 meetings in Egypt. Unfortunately, the significant emissions caused by food production, consumption and waste are less understood or addressed.  New research by World Animal Protection and Navius Research, a nationally recognized climate and energy modeling company, indicates that reducing meat and dairy consumption, in line with the Canada Food Guide, would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 13.5 Megatonne (Mt) in 2030 and 19.2 Mt by 2050, and without a net cost to the economy as a whole or the agriculture sector.  Here is the link the report: worldanimalprotection.ca/navius-report-2022.

"Potential policies that could drive a future with lower animal food consumption include extending the coverage of the carbon tax to include agriculture, an animal product (“meat”) tax, redirecting agricultural subsidies, or a moratorium on new industrial animal operations."An independent assessment of Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan found a 9 Mt emissions gap in meeting our climate targets. This research shows that policies that reduce animal consumption are high-impact, cost-effective solutions to closing Canada’s emissions gap. This aligns with an overwhelming body of scientific res

Potential actions by each of us include reduced daily consumption of meat and dairy as recommended in Canada's Food Guide

October 26, 2022 Climate Justice Resource Centre        

 Norm Newberry, Brian Ruttan and I attended the Road-Map to Net Zero Churches last Saturday. If you wish to know more, here is the link to the Net Zero Church website:  https://www.netzerochurches.ca/.   This is the link to the article in the Anglican Journal about Net Zero Churches:  https://anglicanjournal.com/new-group-aims-to-erase-anglican-churches-huge-carbon-emissions/  

Bob Chown provided a helpful presentation explaining how to start thinking about what retrofits churches could undertake to reduce Green House Gas emissions. A sheet on Grant Foundations was also provided that might be useful as we explore ways to fund upgrades in the future.   Here is a link to Grid Watch, which Bob mentioned in his presentation, if you want to track how and where electricity is produced daily in Ontario:  https://gridwatch.ca/   Norm has already completed an audit of St. John's for 2019, 2020, and 2021 for Natural Gas, Electricity and Water. This will give us a baseline. We still need to track these figures going forward. If you have any questions, please contact Norm Newberry.  

October 23, 2022

Katharine Hayhoe was the guest speaker at the Bishop’s Company event on October 05, 2022. In her interview with Bishop Susan she reinforced our mission as Christians to be protectors of the environment. She emphasized the importance of talking about climate change and inspiring more people to become involved. 

Bishop Susan joined us at St. John’s as the hearts & minds speaker on October 14. During her reflections on the Lambeth Conference she stated emphatically that Climate Justice is at the top of her MAP priorities.    

The municipal election on October 23, 22022 is an important opportunity to come together as a community to elect people who will also make Climate Justice their priority and effect sustainable regulations.  

Here is a link from Emma Cubbit to the video from the climate change event at St. John’s with all the ward 1 candidates: https://fb.watch/f-55o1pvO5/    

September 2022

The Climate Justice Resource Centre was initiated as a follow-up to the Lenten book study group on Saving Us by Katharine Hayhoe, who is a Canadian Christian Climate Scientist. After a break over the summer it is now being reinitiated.   

Katharine Hayhoe was the guest speaker at the Bishop’s Company event on October 05, 2022. In her interview with Bishop Susan she reinforced our mission as Christians to be protectors of the environment. She emphasized the importance of talking about climate change and inspiring more people to become involved. 

Bishop Susan joined us at St. John’s as the hearts & minds speaker on October 14. During her reflections on the Lambeth Conference she stated emphatically that Climate Justice is at the top of her MAP priorities.    

The municipal election on October 23, 22022 is an important opportunity to come together as a community to elect people who will also make Climate Justice their priority and effect sustainable regulations.  

Here is a link from Emma Cubbit to the video from the climate change event at St. John’s with all the ward 1 candidates: https://fb.watch/f-55o1pvO5/    

June 19, 2022

 Here is a link recommended by Jenna Wilson.  It is a little clip of her Dad, Daryl Wilson, at the World Hydrogen summit a few weeks ago.  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s_o-B4aXfiY&feature=youtu.be  

Hydrogen Council - World Hydrogen Summit 2022 Daryl Wilson, Executive Director at the Hydrogen Council spoke with H2 View at the World Hydrogen Summit 2022, following his presentation on 'Global Hydrogen Industry: State of the Union' In the interview, Wilson discussed what is holding hydrogen back, certification, funding, hydrogen standards, European demand, trade and the challenges faced in achieving a hydrogen future Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/h2_view. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/h2view/ 

June 12, 2022 

Why I’m Firing My Gas Stove, is an article recommended by Marg Wielding. https://www.chatelaine.com/food/gas-stoves-environment-air-quality/  Brian and I have just ‘Fired our Gas Stove’ and installed an induction stove. We are thrilled with it, but it is costly and compatible pots are necessary. There are various stove models available. We chose the LG because it was recommended by Consumer Reports, it fit in with our other appliances and it was available.  

An induction cooktop uses electromagnetism to cause pots and pans to get hot. The cooktop heats the pots and pans directly instead of using a hot electric or gas element to heat the cookware.  It boils water up to 50 percent faster than gas or conventional electric and maintains a consistent and precise temperature. It is much more efficient and consequently uses less energy. 

June 5, 2022  Mask Recycling. The COVID-19 pandemic, declared March 15, 2020, has required the use of face masks, most of which are disposable. I have purchased a mask recycling box from Terracycle and placed it for everyone to use at the church entrance, just outside the office.  

May 22, 2022. Voting Strategically.  Anglican Diocese of Niagara   Elizabeth May was the guest speaker for the Bishop's Company event, hosted by Bishop Susan Bell.

May 15, 2022.  Voting Strategically

“Eighty of the solutions analyzed are in place, well understood and are scaling. What our 70-person global research team did was measure the impact the solutions would have if they continued to scale in a rigorous but reasonable way, and what the cost and profits would be.” – Paul Hawken,   

This PDF links to a more recent follow-up to the book and is a comprehensive outline of the program: a modern, intensely practical, account of the stewardship of Creation.  

April 27, 2022. The Citizen's Guide to Climate Success by Mark Jaccard is a book recommended by John Loukidelis.   Katherine Hayhoe says: “If you have ever wondered what it will take to fix climate change, this book offers the facts, the analysis, and ultimately, the clarity we need to understand fully the challenges that confront us and the solutions that will lead us to a better future.” The book and his videos are well worth your time.   Here is a link to a wonderful interview with Mark Jaccard based on his book. For shorter videos based on specific topics, scrawl down to the bottom of this link: http://markjaccard.com  With an election imminent in Ontario, Mark shares his views on how to identify a climate sincere politician in this video. 

April 20, 2022. Here is a link to Katharine Hayoe’s TED Talk which beautify summarizes many of the points she makes in her book Saving Us.