On Earth Day, the peoples of the world come together to demand proper attention be paid to Mother Earth and denounce the reality that their concerns are not being met. The more environmental disasters occur, the more disinformation pours from the official circles in the United States, Britain, Canada, the European countries and others which represent the global elite. They attempt to give the impression they are taking measures to bring the climate crisis under control while in fact increasing the number of damaging pay-the-rich schemes and other self-serving practices, all the while spouting the high ideal of "greening the economy."

On the occasion of Earth Day 2024, the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) salutes the youth and working people of this country and the peoples all over the world who are organizing to restrict and deprive the monopolies and oligopolies, and governments in their service of their ability to pollute, destroy, wage wars, exploit, criminalize and deprive the people of their right to a say over all matters which affect their lives. They trample the sovereign rights of all countries and seek to deprive the Indigenous Peoples of treaty and hereditary rights.

CPC(M-L) recognizes the gravity of the situation facing humankind as a result of the climate crisis. Canadians, Quebeckers and the Indigenous Peoples are held hostage to the self-serving government policies which cause serious harm to the natural and social environment. Taking care of Mother Earth is a priority; opposing government pay-the-rich schemes is a necessity.

It is the striving for empowerment of working people from all walks of life which is life-giving. The natural and social environment cannot be humanized without opposing the stranglehold of the oligopolies over government decision-making and their rule which is causing so much harm around the world.

CPC(M-L) denounces the ruling elite for marketing self-serving plans in the name of "greening the economy." It is a fact that technical and scientific innovations demand new infrastructures and processes of production. However, the schemes the government is financing are not discussed with the people. On the contrary, the new normal is to force their approval before anything is known about them. Police powers are used to impose them in the name of national security, prosperity and meeting crucial goals to curb pollution but the degradation of the land, water and sea levels continues as does the harm to flora and fauna and humankind.

Governments continue their relentless defence of companies whose pursuit of private profit endangers the workers and the public and dispossesses the Indigenous Peoples while causing grave harm to Mother Earth. Despite lofty proclamations, they continue to expropriate Indigenous Peoples, trample on their land and attempt to silence the thousands of Canadians and Quebeckers opposing specific projects such as the Trans Mountain Pipeline and the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline construction, deforestation, deregulation of railways and all the ways harm is brought to the natural environment.

The creation of alternative forms of energy which do not involve fossil fuels is necessary but such alternatives can themselves be very polluting. Such things can be brought under control but the support for the approach of making a quick buck on the latest invention or acquiring government subsidies in the billions of dollars is opportunist and harmful. New technologies are here to stay. How they are used and for what purpose is a matter which must be brought under the control of the working class and people, not benefit narrow private interests which have taken over government decision-making.

Already, forest fires and disasters as a result of the privatization of government responsibilities are threatening the lives of a large number of people this year. People must work collectively themselves to realize their striving to stay the hand of the elites and hold them to account to overcome the disasters taking place as a result of the climate crisis and pernicious practices of the ruling elite. These include fracking, clear cutting, detrimental mining methods, contamination of rivers, lakes and oceans, the privatization of water, fraudulent environmental assessments, decrees which disempower municipal levels of government and keep them underfunded, privatization of roads and highways, refusal to implement tried and true practices which protect communities and homes from devastating forest fires, permits for real estate developers to build where it is unsafe, refusal to penalize polluters whose practices cause serious harm to air and water quality, dispossession of the rightful holders and stewards of the land, wars of aggression and occupations, cutbacks of public servants and much more related to the destruction of civil society.

All of this must end! All of it underscores the urgency of raising the demand for the renewal of the political process to empower the people. Concern for environmental degradation and ruination of Mother Earth must be consciously expanded into a political movement to empower the working people, to put them in the forefront of all economic, political, social and cultural decision-making. The people must become the decision-makers and set the direction of the economy in a manner that protects the environment and affirms the right to be of the peoples of the entire world. Only in this way can a firm step be taken to humanize the natural and social environment.

On Earth Day 2024, All Out to Humanize the Natural and Social Environment!

Earth Day Protests Demand End to Corporate Stranglehold Over Natural and Social Environment

– Marxist-Leninist Party of Quebec –

Quebec City, Earth Day 2023

On the occasion of Earth Day 2024, the Marxist-Leninist Party of Quebec (PMLQ) salutes the young people and workers of Quebec and those of Canada as well as Indigenous Peoples who, with people around the world, fight to restrict and deprive monopolies and oligopolies, along with the governments in their service, of their ability to pollute, destroy, wage war, exploit, criminalize and deprive people of their right to have a say in all matters that affect their lives.

The slogans of the various actions being held are unequivocal: The Planet is Not for Sale and Neither Are the Unceded Territories! is the theme of the march in Montreal. Organizers state, "The CAQ's idea of an 'energy transition' is privatizing electricity, building mega battery plants and throwing ourselves headfirst into hydrogen. It's selling off water, electricity and land for cheap, throwing the door wide open to foreign companies that are already exploiting the global south, against the will of local communities. We will not allow this."

In Sherbrooke, the organizers of the march underline: "The frantic race for profits is leading us straight towards the precipice. We cannot leave our future in the hands of the elites. Together we can create a fairer and more environmentally friendly society. A society without exploitation that can act now to resolve the crises affecting humanity. For the sake of humans and ecosystems, let's fight for this society today!"

Quebec City's action goes in the same direction: Climate Emergency! Social Emergency!

Caring for Mother Earth is a priority; opposing government schemes to pay the rich is a necessity. Collective experience has taught us that no matter which government is in power and what commitments it says it is making to protect the environment, as long as these are subject to private interests, the exploitation of natural resources serves the rich and not the common interest of the people. The most recent example in Quebec is the impunity with which the Legault government offers, on a silver platter, 171 hectares (1.71 square kilometres) of land, including 52 hectares of wetlands and possibly 70 hectares of agricultural land, to the Swedish multinational company Northvolt so that it can install its battery mega-factory there. This is despite the very broad opposition of citizens, scientists, environmentalists, environmental defense organizations and many others to this project.

The Legault government may say that Quebeckers do not understand the importance of such a project, the reality is quite different. In fact, it is because they do understand that this sell-off of their natural resources is subsidized and that it will serve the war machine of the United States, which thirsts for the lithium-ion battery that Northvolt will manufacture. Military industry and war are a leading cause of environmental destruction and global warming.

Governments are using the climate crisis that they themselves helped create to put in place measures to so-called "deal with climate emergencies" which are ultimately pay-the-rich schemes. A government serving narrow private interests cannot protect the natural environment and human beings.

On this Earth Day 2024, we must hold accountable those who use their power to destroy the natural and social environment and find new political arrangements where the future of Mother Earth will rest in the hands of those who put themselves in the service of her protection and the human beings who live and work here. These new arrangements require the renewal of the political process so that the people are vested with power to decide all economic, political and social issues, and control the direction of the economy so that it serves the well-being of society and humanizes the natural and social environment.

Baie Comeau, Earth Day 2023

On Earth Day 2024, Demand an End to War Production and the Pentagon's War Machine!

A significant and necessary act on Earth Day is to denounce the U.S. Pentagon as the biggest polluter in the world. U.S./NATO-led wars of aggression and occupation and the U.S. war industry feed the destruction of Mother Earth. Earth Day can only be true to itself if it denounces the wastefulness and parasitism of the war industry. Canada pays billions for armaments and the U.S. proxy war in Ukraine as well as for Israeli genocide in Gaza and dispossession of the Palestinian people, but says that there is no money for health care, education and public services, paying public servants, housing for all or even adequate shelters for abused women all at the level society requires. It guarantees the profits of the armaments producers and those who cause damage to Mother Earth, but not the right of the people to live in a safe natural and social environment.

Dismantling the aggressive military alliances NATO and NORAD is required to stop the situation internationally whereby countries have to devote their resources to war preparations and armaments which are not for defence but aggression. By dismantling NATO and NORAD and opposing the use of force and threats of force in international affairs, Canadians and Quebeckers can use resources so that humankind can flourish, rather than for the destruction of other peoples and societies which also destroys the natural environment.

Talk about "greening" the military with electrification or unmanned electric drones on land, sea and air, so that the U.S. can dominate the world, with allegedly less carbon emissions, must be rejected as a complete fraud and a grave danger to peace. Once again, uranium weapons are being used against the people and the entire infrastructure of the Gaza Strip is destroyed with impunity. Canada's participation in supporting Israel and U.S. wars of aggression and regime change and the hypocrisy and fraud of NATO and UN missions carried out in the name of humanitarian aid, peace, freedom, democracy and discredited pretexts for war such as "responsibility to protect," "rules-based order" and "human rights" must all be opposed.

All governments of the ruling elite regardless of party affiliation, have shown in practice that they fully identify with the narrow stance of private interests of the rich and the demands of the war government in the United States and its understudy in Canada. To serve these private interests and in the same breath express concern for the environment is absurd.

All Out to Oppose Canada's Support for Aggression and War!

Government Pay-the-Rich Schemes Harm Mother Earth

Legault Government's Environmental
Double Standards

– Fernand Deschamps –

In March 2023, the Ministry of Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP) refused permission to MC2, the former owner of the land on which the Northvolt battery plant is being built, to build a 4,000-unit housing project because wetlands would be destroyed. The MELCCFP stated in its decision that the diversity of ponds and marshes "provides a variety of habitats for living species, which, within a context where natural environments are rare and agricultural practices and urban development are homogenizing the landscape, helps maintain biodiversity."

According to documents submitted by Northvolt to the MELCCFP, a copy of which was obtained by Le Devoir, the site contains no fewer than 74 wetlands, including eight ponds, 19 marshes, 28 mature deciduous forest swamps and 19 shrub swamps. One of these documents, a report entitled Floristic Inventory and Characterization of Wetlands and Water Environments, is the result of work carried out by the private firm CIMA, hired by Northvolt. The 523-page report states that 62 of the 74 wetlands are of "medium" or "high" importance for the "conservation of biodiversity," and that 55 of the 74 documented wetlands have a medium or high "carbon sequestration" capacity. The majority of these 55 wetlands will be destroyed in the plant's construction.

Carbon sequestration in natural environments is considered an important tool in the fight against climate change caused by the increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere. Whether they are marshes, swamps, ponds or peat bogs, wetlands act as kidneys for nature. They filter and buffer water to prevent both floods and droughts, and regulate water flows.

The Montérégie region, where the Northvolt plant is to be built, is in the southwest part of Quebec. MELCCFP Minister Benoit Charette stated in December 2022 at the COP15 biodiversity conference in Montreal that François Legault's government had ruled out the idea of committing to conserving more natural environments in southern Quebec. At present, the Quebec government boasts that it has managed to protect 17 per cent of its land and freshwater, a goal that has been achieved largely thanks to the protection of vast, sparsely populated areas of northern Quebec. However, for years now, experts and environmentalists have been stressing the importance of protecting southern Quebec as well, where the majority of human activity is concentrated. Only five per cent of the land in the Montérégie region is wetlands or forests.

The Legault government amended the regulation in 2023 requiring that any project involving industrial chemical production in excess of 50,000 tonnes per year be subject to an environmental assessment in the form of environmental public hearing consultations, known as the Environmental Public Hearings Bureau (BAPE). The effect of its raising the threshold to 60,000 tonnes is that the MELCCFP has expedited the issuing of permits so that the cutting down of 8,730 trees and backfilling of 138,162 square metres of wetlands, that will be "permanently affected," could begin.

As Radio-Canada reported last November, it generally takes much longer for the MELCCFP to issue authorizations for the elimination of wetlands. "We analyzed the timelines for 116 authorizations granted by the Montérégie regional branch of the Ministry of the Environment since 2018. On average, developers wait 15 months before being authorized to damage a wetland. For example, the Alta industrial park in Coteau-du-Lac took 22 months and the expansion of a logistics centre in Varennes took 13 months. Even the construction of schools took between three and seven months for the go-ahead from the ministry. And it took eight months to destroy wetlands for the Carignan seniors' centre project."

MELCCFP officials have also been instructed to speed up environmental authorizations so that construction can begin on similar projects for the GM and Ford battery component plants in the Bécancour industrial park.

(With files from Government of Quebec, Radio-Canada, Le Devoir)

Excavation Work at Northvolt's Future Battery Plant Goes Ahead Despite Growing Opposition

On Friday, January 26, Justice David Collier of the Quebec Superior Court refused to grant an interlocutory injunction to halt tree-cutting for a period of 10 days on the site of Northvolt's future battery plant which straddles the municipalities of Ste-Basile-le-Grand and McMasterville, Quebec. The interlocutory injunction, sought by the Quebec Centre for Environmental Law (CQDE) and three citizens from McMasterville, was aimed at forcing the Quebec government, a partner in the construction of the plant, to provide all the environmental assessment information held by the Ministry of Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCC) on the basis of which Northvolt was granted permission to begin work on the site.

Ministry of the Environment's So-called Transparency and Accountability

In 2017, Philippe Couillard's Liberal government amended the Environment Quality Act. It promised "zero net loss" for wetlands. The reality is quite different.

According to La Presse, "no fewer than 98 per cent of landfill applications are authorized. Verification is inadequate -- in 70 per cent of cases, no check is made to see whether another construction site was available. Monitoring is also inadequate. The majority of sites are not visited by inspectors and offenders do not lose their permits."

"Compensation doesn't work either. Developers can create or protect an environment of equal value or pay a penalty. They prefer to pay. The money should be used to restore wetlands. Yet barely three per cent of the money is being used.

"Nor has the Ministry of the Environment protected the wetlands of 'interest' recognized by its officials. On the contrary, it has increased the number of exemptions and reduced the financial penalties in certain regions. [...] The online public register of projects, which was promised in 2017, has not been implemented. This transparency measure was nonetheless a compromise offered to ecologists to win them over to this reform."[1]

This explains the repeated requests from journalists and environmentalists for access to information from the Ministry of the Environment and the several-week delays before they receive a response. Once the documents have been received, recipients often find that key parts have been redacted so that nothing can be concluded about their content.

Why did Judge Collier refuse to grant an injunction that would have temporarily stopped the clearing of trees and backfilling of wetlands when, according to his own admission, "there will be a loss of a natural environment that is both rare and important to the region's environment"?

Serious Harm and the Balance of Convenience

Among the reasons given in Justice Collier's 13-page judgment for refusing to grant the injunction are that "as with the ministerial authorization, the permit issued by the municipality [of Ste-Basile-Le-Grand] enjoys a presumption of validity and is presumed to have been adopted in the public interest," and that the CQDE and the three McMasterville citizens "have not succeeded in putting forward serious arguments that would cast doubt, prima facie, on the validity of the ministerial authorization and the municipal permit [...]."

Despite this, Justice Collier could not help but make two comments favourable to the aims of the CQDE and the citizens of McMasterville, even though "the plaintiffs did not pass the colour of right test."[2]

He said that the loss of trees and wetlands would be compensated by Northvolt, which would pay the sum of $4.7 million that "will be used to restore or preserve other wetlands" and "to plant 24,000 trees, the vast majority [of them] on its site."

He referred to Northvolt's threat and blackmail: "For its part, Northvolt maintains that it will suffer enormous economic harm if its project is delayed or ultimately abandoned because of the delays."

After pointing out that "the Government of Quebec believes that the Northvolt project is of great importance to the province's economy" and that "it is a 'green' and structuring project for the province," he concluded that "if there is a public interest in protecting the environment, there is also a public interest in protecting the legal security of activities authorized by the public administration" and that "given all the factors, the balance of convenience does not favour the issuance of an interlocutory injunction."

In other words, Justice Collier did not question the fact that the Quebec government, through the police powers granted to the Minister of the Environment, can change regulations at will to accommodate large private interests, all in the name of lofty ideals such as building a green economy.

More Court Actions Against Northvolt

On April 5, the CQDE, supported by three McMasterville residents, launched a lawsuit with the Superior Court of Quebec against the Quebec Ministry of the Environment to "contest the regulatory changes that set aside the holding of a review by the Environmental Public Hearings Bureau (BAPE) for Northvolt's gigafactory project." These regulatory changes were made in July 2023, just prior to the announcement of Northvolt's project in September 2023.

At the time of the announcement, CQDE's lawyer said: "Governments cannot be allowed to change standards at the whim of the client. Such a free pass would set a dangerous precedent. In light of the information revealed over the past few weeks, it seems all the more important to us to ensure respect for the rule of law and our democratic processes."

This is not the end of the Northvolt saga. The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) announced on January 23 that a lawsuit had been filed with the Quebec Superior Court "to demand orders requiring the provincial and federal governments to engage in consultation with the Mohawks of Kahnawà:ke regarding the Northvolt battery plant project in the Montérégie region."

The statement issued by MCK says "The MCK is seeking a declaration that both Quebec and Canada have breached the duty to consult, both with respect to their decisions to fund the project and, in the case of Quebec, by authorizing the destruction of wetlands without completing consultation. The MCK is also challenging the legislation that governs work in wetlands, arguing that these laws fail to consider, let alone respect, Indigenous rights."[3]

They also drew attention to the constitutional requirement that the federal and Quebec governments must consult Indigenous Peoples on this and all matters that pertain to the protection of the environment, as is the case with the expansion of the Port of Montreal in the Contrecoeur area.

Notes

1. Paul Journel, "Un boomerang contre Northvolt," La Presse, January 27, 2024.

2. Motion for Interim Interlocutory Injunction, Judgment number 500-17-128496-240, Judge David R. Collier, Superior Court of Quebec, District of Montreal, January 26, 2024.

"Serious harm is undoubtedly caused to others when a tree is cut down or a wetland destroyed or damaged without right. Furthermore, it is undeniable that, without the issuance of an interlocutory injunction in the present proceedings, a state of affairs will exist which will render the judgment on the merits ineffective. This criterion leans in favor of the plaintiffs in this case. [CQDE and the three citizens of McMasterville]."

and

"The issue of the balance of convenience is less clear. If the injunction is not issued, there is reason to believe that wetlands covering an area of 13.8 ha (138,162 square metres) will be destroyed or degraded on the Northvolt site. There will be a loss of a natural environment that is both rare and important to the region's environment."

3. Environmental Talking Points for the Northvolt Development Project, Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke.

(With files from Superior Court of Québec, Quebec Centre for Environmental Law, Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke, Le Devoir, La Presse, Actualités, Journal de Montréal)

A Government Working to Discard
the Common Good

Action boréale is an organization that has existed for 24 years and works to protect the boreal forest. In a press release published on March 27 by the organization and signed by several others, President Henri Jacob and Vice-President Richard Desjardins express their concerns about private control, in collaboration with the Legault government and others, over the common good. The text, translated from the original French by TML, appears below.

The Premier of Quebec, MNA for L'Assomption, and the CAQ government are allowing their Super-Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy and others, Pierre Fitzgibbon, to prioritize the privatization of public resources, by ceding rights related to electrical production on Quebec territory to private companies, while the CAQ in no way received a mandate from the people during the last elections to cede or partially or totally privatize the production and distribution of our electrical energy.

Can Quebec forget the beneficial effects for all of Quebec society of René Lévesque's work to nationalize the production and distribution of electricity by Hydro-Québec? And shouldn't this electricity remain the property of the Quebec people?

In so doing, the Legault government is setting in motion our dispossession of a national common good in favour of private interests.

We believe that the Premier of Quebec is acting undemocratically and against the interests of public institutions and the Quebec people.

Privatization

The Premier of Quebec, the MNA for L'Assomption, and the CAQ government are allowing the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, to privatize the frontline of the public health system, and are ratifying the construction of private hospitals that will compete with the public system for financial, material and human resources.

This privatization channels resources to private interests, to the detriment of the public health system, the common good of the Quebec people. Did the CAQ receive a mandate in the last election to proceed with such a weakening of Quebec's public health care system?

In so doing, the Legault government is dispossessing us of part of our public network in favour of private interests.

The Premier of Quebec, the MNA for L'Assomption, and the CAQ government are allowing the Minister of the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, Benoit Charette, to accept that the regulations allowing a BAPE [Environmental Public Hearings Bureau] to be held will be changed for the benefit of private companies, without consulting the public. This once again creates a major democratic deficit in the context of a global climate crisis whose existence and devastating effects no one can deny any longer.

In so doing, the Legault government is promoting the abusive exploitation of territories rich in biodiversity, despite warnings of the danger of extinction of animal and plant species, in the context of a biodiversity crisis that scientists recognize as the "sixth great extinction of life."

What's more, this government is knowingly allowing public health environmental standards to be flouted in favour of private enterprise. The consequences are obvious: deterioration in the health of the local population, premature deaths and the devitalization of the areas concerned. By acting in this way, the Legault government is confirming our dispossession of part of our territory, our natural heritage and our right to health and safety, for the benefit of private interests.

Dispossession of Our Rights

The Premier of Quebec, MNA for L'Assomption, and the CAQ government are allowing the Minister of Housing, France-Élaine Duranceau, to subject a critical mass of the population to economic shocks in the form of spectacular rent increases, thus creating a social crisis that we would have thought a thing of the past. Once again, the government is endorsing deficient regulations that deprive citizens of affordable housing and of the rights that would protect them from abusive increases and evictions, and from unscrupulous speculators at home and abroad.

By acting in this way, the Legault government is confirming the dispossession of the most disadvantaged individuals and families of an essential right -- the ability to find housing without becoming even poorer, without falling into indignity, without risking homelessness -- all for the benefit of private interests.

The Premier of Quebec, MNA for L'Assomption, and the CAQ government are thus organizing the dispossession of some of our rights (the right to housing, health and security) and of our most vital public institutions (energy and health), essential to helping us face the various problems associated with climate change. Their "governance" has led them to sell off Quebec's resources, reminding us of the darkest hours of our history.

- Faced with these betrayals at the most sensitive levels of our public institutions, faced with the intention to weaken, even dispossess, our public institutions for the benefit of private interests;

- In the face of the government's incompetence in protecting its population from economic abuse;

- Faced with the failure to respect social consensus on the protection of biodiversity, which has the capacity to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change, and the attack on our much-needed public institutions in the face of the various crises (social, economic, climate and biodiversity) in which we are immersed;

- And in the face of the fact that François Legault is accelerating the processes of dispossession of the common good, while perpetuating an economic model that is the cause of most of the current crises;

We consider that the Premier of Quebec is acting undemocratically and against the interests of public institutions and the Quebec people.

And, for all these reasons, as signatories of this letter, we demand the immediate resignation of François Legault.

Other signatories: Jacques Benoit, GMob (Groupe Mobilisation); Michel Jetté, GMob (Groupe Mobilisation); Louise Sabourin, GMob (Groupe Mobilisation); Julie Robillard, Mouvement d'éducation populaire et d'action communautaire du Québec (MÉPACQ); André Bélisle, Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique (AQLPA); Josée Harnois, Table régionale des organismes volontaires d'éducation populaire (TROVEP) de la Montérégie; Patricia Posadas, Prospérité sans pétrole, Rimouski; Martin Poirier, Annie Landry and Stéphane Poirier.

Legault Government's Contempt for
Civil Servant Scientists

On Friday, April 5, Ghislain Côté, a biologist employed for six years by Quebec's Ministry of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP), resigned from his position as coordinator of the analysis and expertise team and acting regional director for the MELCCFP's Lower Saint-Lawrence region.

On February 21 and 25 he had written two letters to the Minister of the Environment, Benoît Charette, that remained unanswered. In the letters, he says that the Quebec government's decision to go ahead with authorization to build the Northvolt plant on land owned until last July by a group of real estate developers, MC2, was "a political order."

As evidence of this, he pointed out that Environment Minister Benoît Charette had publicly declared last November that the mega-plant construction project would go ahead even though the environmental impact analysis by MELCCFP scientists had not yet been completed.

In one of his letters to Minister Charette, Côté reminds him that as Minister he has full latitude to accept or reject a project: "I urge you to be transparent. ... If the decision is up to the Minister, then do it. The Environment Quality Act gives you the right to do so, but don't shift the burden onto the teams who normally work independently." What Côté is referring to is the report produced in March 2023 by the senior analyst and biologist employed by the MELCCFP which concluded that a proposed MC2 real estate project on the site where the Northvolt plant is to be built was non-compliant, whereas the report produced in January 2024 by the same MELCCFP official deemed the Northvolt project to be compliant.

Big Private Interests Trump Scientific Findings

In the March 2023 report rejecting the MC2 real estate group's application, the civil servant cited 23 references, including nine scientific articles, that demonstrated the site's ecological value and the adverse environmental impact of the real estate project including the destruction of wetlands. In the January 2024 report, the conclusion was that the Northvolt project was compliant, with only 11 references retained, and none of the scientific articles appearing (see table below).

Comparative table of the conclusions of the MELCCFP analysis reports for the MC2 and Northvolt projects. Source Radio-Canada

As noted in a Radio-Canada article, "the land sought for both projects is an abandoned, partly contaminated industrial site that was operated by the former Canada Industries Limited (CIL) explosives factory until 1999. Many of the wetlands are the result of excavations, but flora and fauna have since reclaimed their rights."

"The origin of the wetlands has no bearing on their role and importance," writes the Ministry of the Environment in its analysis. One sentence, however, has disappeared from a paragraph copied and pasted from the first to the second report: "They are therefore considered natural environments."[1]

As well, in the analysis of the MC2 real estate project, the following is mentioned, which does not appear in the analysis of the Northvolt industrial project:

"The site constitutes a stepping stone linking two large forest tracts, Mont Saint-Bruno and Mont Saint-Hilaire [...]. Ultimately, this is likely to compromise the dispersal of individuals and connectivity (COVABAR, 2015 Annual Report) and have a negative impact on the viability and continuity of populations and, by the same token, on biodiversity (Hanski 2011)."

The MC2 project analysis mentions wetlands that have become "renaturalized." This was "almost obscured in the second report," notes Stéphanie Pellerin, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the Université de Montréal, who compared the two documents.

"What caught my eye was that the whole aspect of the importance of wetlands, in particular the regional assessment that was in the MC2 analysis, had completely disappeared from the Northvolt analysis. It's really striking," adds Pellerin.

An internal report by the Ministry of the Environment's Office of Legislative and Regulatory Policy showed that Minister Charette did not have the support of his officials to exempt Northvolt from a review by the Environmental Public Hearings Bureau (BAPE) for its battery production. Ministry employees recommended a full review, saying "Since the impacts of this type of plant are poorly documented, the precautionary principle prevails."

The precautionary principle is important because excavation work is going ahead on the Northvolt site, and the Ministry of the Environment has no idea what atmospheric emissions the future industrial complex will produce. Nor do officials know what will be discharged into the Richelieu River, or how much water will be drawn from the river to cool the industrial process. The Richelieu is the source of drinking water for several municipalities in the region.

The precautionary principle was also raised in February 2023 when the Legault government proposed modifying environmental regulations to accommodate the new battery industry. At the time, its proposal was that any battery assembly plant with a capacity of 30 gigawatt-hours (GWh) or more would be subject to a BAPE review.

Public consultations were held in the spring of 2023, and the ministry received two comments on this aspect, including one from the Quebec Order of Chemists, which thought it was a good idea. Northvolt, on the other hand, suggested raising the threshold to 40 Gwh. Officials recommended rejection of Northvolt's proposed change. "The threshold should remain at 30 GWh," according to their report. In July 2023 we learned that the Legault government had adopted a regulation with no threshold for review of battery assembly plants. In other words, there will be no BAPE for battery component plants in Quebec, whatever their capacity.

This prompted a reaction from former BAPE vice-president and environmental journalist Louis-Gilles Francoeur who called this political decision "contempt" for the "scientific process" on the part of the Minister of the Environment, and a "rejection of the public service."[2]

Scientist Fired for Exposing Interference at the Ministry of Agriculture

In January 2019, 32-year veteran and renowned agronomist Louis Robert was abruptly dismissed by the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ) for leaking documents to the media that demonstrated private sector interference in public pesticide research. He was fired despite the protection that the law guarantees, in principle, to whistle-blowers.

As early as October 2017, Robert had passed on to the ministry's senior management information on conflicts of interest and interference in the Grain Research Centre (CÉROM) by pro-pesticide board members and a crisis in the management of the publicly-funded organization tasked with finding ways to reduce pesticide use in agriculture. The deputy minister and his assistants had been aware of the crisis at CÉROM since at least June 2016.

In March 2018, an assistant deputy minister of MAPAQ congratulated Louis Robert, writing that "Your disclosure regarding CÉROM was marked by a desire to correct a situation that you considered to be against the public interest." Nevertheless, pressure was exerted by members of CÉROM's Board of Directors to silence Robert. One of the board members was the president of the Association of Grain Producers. Less than a month before the October 2018 election that brought the CAQ to power, Louis Robert was suspended with pay. He was fired in January 2019, accused of passing on confidential information to Radio-Canada without authorization and "displaying a lack of loyalty."

Less than a week later, Agriculture Minister André Lamontagne declared that it had been his decision to fire Robert. He said: "It's my decision, I'm very comfortable with my decision" and that "this decision is in no way a reprisal against a whistle-blower." Robert responded a week later by filing an action for "illegal and abusive dismissal." The Union des producteurs agricoles du Québec, Quebec's farmers union, and the Syndicat des professionnels du gouvernement du Québec, Quebec's professional civil servant union which represents 26,000 civil servants, supported him. The Québec Ombudsman launched an investigation and concluded that Robert's firing was unjust.

The Ombudsman concluded that MAPAQ had committed a major breach of confidentiality by repeatedly revealing Louis Robert's identity, going so far as to provide his name to the department investigating a media leak and publishing it online following an access to information request. Robert was reinstated to his position at MAPAQ in July 2019.

Notes

1 "Northvolt: Québec a retiré des arguments scientifiques de son analyse," Thomas Gerbet, Radio-Canada, February 23, 2024.

2. "BAPE pour Northvolt: Québec a éclipsé la recommandation des fonctionnaires," Thomas Gerbet, Radio-Canada, April 9, 2024.

Information from World Meteorological Organization

Record Levels of Climate Change in 2023

A new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) shows that in 2023, "records were once again broken, and in some cases smashed, for greenhouse gas levels, surface temperatures, ocean heat and acidification, sea level rise, Antarctic sea ice cover and glacier retreat." A March 19 press release from the WMO states that, according to the WMO State of the Global Climate 2023 report:

"Heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfires and rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones caused misery and mayhem, upending every-day life for millions and inflicting many billions of dollars in economic losses."

The WMO report confirmed that 2023 was the warmest year on record, with the global average near-surface temperature at 1.45 Celsius (with a margin of uncertainty of ± 0.12 °C) above the pre-industrial baseline. It was the warmest ten-year period on record.

"Never have we been so close -- albeit on a temporary basis at the moment -- to the 1.5 °C lower limit of the Paris Agreement on climate change," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. "The WMO community is sounding the Red Alert to the world."

While saying that "Climate change is about much more than temperatures," the power relations all over the word and aim of the imperialists to do everything within the context of making the rich richer is not raised. "What we witnessed in 2023, especially with the unprecedented ocean warmth, glacier retreat and Antarctic sea ice loss, is cause for particular concern," Celeste Saulo said. "The climate crisis is THE defining challenge that humanity faces and is closely intertwined with the inequality crisis -- as witnessed by growing food insecurity and population displacement, and biodiversity loss," Saulo added.

"Weather and climate extremes may not be the root cause [of food insecurity], but they are aggravating factors," says the WMO report. The WMO informs that the number of people who are acutely food insecure worldwide has more than doubled, from 149 million people before the COVID-19 pandemic to 333 million people in 2023 (in 78 countries monitored by the World Food Program).

Despite its dire warnings, readers should remain cognizant that the WMO report describes the alarming situation but its viewpoint fails to implicate the worldwide problem of the usurpation of the state power in many countries by narrow supranational private interests whose only purpose is making private profits as well as the greatest polluters, the U.S. military, and its aggressive military alliance NATO, that includes Canada, in creating and exacerbating the climate crisis. The activities of the U.S. and the Pentagon and all of the greenhouse gases they produce and the destruction of the natural and social environment that they are responsible for must be included when it comes to assessing the causes and therefore solutions to climate change.

The billions of dollars spent on war production would go a long way toward alleviating the effects of the climate crisis and shielding its victims all over the world.

Below are some of the effects of climate change as reported on by the WMO in its State of the Global Climate 2023, with additional explanations from other organizations.

Greenhouse Gases

The WMO informs that observed concentrations of the three main greenhouse gases -- carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide -- reached record levels in 2022. Real-time data from specific locations show a continued increase in 2023.

"CO2 levels are 50 per cent higher than the pre-industrial era, trapping heat in the atmosphere. The long lifetime of CO2 means that temperatures will continue to rise for many years to come," states the WMO.

A related effect is that ocean acidification has increased significantly as a result of absorbing carbon dioxide. This in turn has a direct negative effect on many forms of ocean life that may not be able to adapt to the rapid increase in ocean acidity.

Rising Temperatures

The WMO writes, "The global mean near-surface temperature in 2023 was 1.45±0.12 °C above the pre-industrial 1850-1900 average. 2023 was the warmest year in the 174-year observational record. This shattered the record of the previous warmest years, 2016 at 1.29 ± 0.12°C above the 1850-1900 average and 2020 at 1.27±0.13°C.

"The ten-year average 2014-2023 global temperature is 1.20±0.12°C above the 1850-1900 average.

"Globally, every month from June to December was record warm for the respective month. September 2023 was particularly noteworthy, surpassing the previous global record for September by a wide margin (0.46 to 0.54 °C).

"The long-term increase in global temperature is due to increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The shift from La Niña to El Niño conditions in the middle of 2023 contributed to the rapid rise in temperature from 2022 to 2023." The shift referred to is a recurring climate pattern across the tropical Pacific that affects weather and climate around the world.

"Global average sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) were at a record high from April onwards, with the records in July, August and September broken by a particularly wide margin. Exceptional warmth was recorded in the eastern North Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, the North Pacific and large areas of the Southern Ocean, with widespread marine heatwaves."

Rising Ocean Temperatures

Regarding temperatures within the oceans, the WMO report points out that on an average day in 2023, "nearly one-third of the global ocean was gripped by a marine heatwave, harming vital ecosystems and food systems. Towards the end of 2023, over 90 per cent of the ocean had experienced heatwave conditions at some point during the year."

The UN points out, "As the excessive heat and energy warms the ocean, the change in temperature leads to unparalleled cascading effects, including ice-melting, sea-level rise, marine heatwaves, and ocean acidification.

"These changes ultimately cause a lasting impact on marine biodiversity, and the lives and livelihoods of coastal communities and beyond -- including around 680 million people living in low-lying coastal areas, almost 2 billion who live in half of the world's megacities that are coastal, nearly half of the world's population (3.3 billion) that depends on fish for protein, and almost 60 million people who work in fisheries and the aquaculture sector worldwide."

Loss of Glaciers and Sea Ice

In terms of glacial retreat the WMO says that in 2023, "The global set of reference glaciers suffered the largest loss of ice on record (since 1950), driven by extreme melt in both western North America and Europe, according to preliminary data.

The WMO also points out that Antarctic sea ice extent was by far the lowest on record, with the maximum extent at the end of winter at 1 million square kilometres below the previous record year -- a loss equivalent to the size of France and Germany combined.

Loss of glaciers and sea ice has various effects. Ice reflects sunlight back into space and keeps global temperatures lower. The U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center explains, "Arctic sea ice acts like the planet's air conditioner. Its bright, white surface reflects sunlight back into space. In other words, sea ice does not absorb much solar energy, keeping temperatures relatively cool in the Arctic. However, as more sea ice retreats throughout the year, the darker open oceans absorb more solar energy, raising temperatures and setting off a cycle of warming and further melting. Even a small increase in temperature can lead to greater warming over time, making the polar regions the most sensitive areas to climate change on Earth. The Arctic, for instance, is warming at two to three times the rate of the rest of the planet. At the other pole, the Antarctic Peninsula is not far behind in terms of rate of warming."

Rising atmospheric temperatures, loss of sea ice and rising sea levels are part of a positive feedback loop.

Extreme Weather and Climate Events

The WMO writes, "Extreme weather and climate events had major socio-economic impacts on all inhabited continents. These included major floods, tropical cyclones, extreme heat and drought, and associated wildfires.

"Flooding linked to extreme rainfall from Mediterranean Cyclone Daniel affected Greece, Bulgaria, Türkiye, and Libya with particularly heavy loss of life in Libya in September.

"Tropical Cyclone Freddy in February and March was one of the world's longest-lived tropical cyclones with major impacts on Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi.

"Tropical Cyclone Mocha, in May, was one of the most intense cyclones ever observed in the Bay of Bengal and triggered 1.7 million displacements across the sub-region from Sri Lanka to Myanmar and through India and Bangladesh, and worsened acute food insecurity.

"Hurricane Otis intensified to a maximum Category 5 system in a matter of hours -- one of the most rapid intensification rates in the satellite era. It hit the Mexican coastal resort of Acapulco on October 24, causing economic losses estimated at around U.S.$15 billion, and killing at least 47 people.

"Extreme heat affected many parts of the world. Some of the most significant were in southern Europe and North Africa, especially in the second half of July. Temperatures in Italy reached 48.2 °C, and record-high temperatures were reported in Tunis (Tunisia) 49.0 °C, Agadir (Morocco) 50.4 °C and Algiers (Algeria) 49.2 °C.

"Canada's wildfire season was the worst on record. The total area burned nationally for the year was 14.9 million hectares, more than seven times the long-term average. The fires also led to severe smoke pollution, particularly in the heavily populated areas of eastern Canada and the north-eastern United States. The deadliest single wildfire of the year was in Hawaii, with at least 100 deaths reported -- the deadliest wildfire in the USA for more than 100 years -- and estimated economic losses of U.S.$5.6 billion.

"The Greater Horn of Africa region, which had been experiencing long-term drought, suffered substantial flooding in 2023, particularly later in the year. The flooding displaced 1.8 million people across Ethiopia, Burundi, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia and Kenya in addition to the 3 million people displaced internally or across borders by the five consecutive seasons of drought in Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti, and Somalia.

"Long-term drought persisted in north-western Africa and parts of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as parts of central and southwest Asia. It intensified in many parts of Central America and South America. In northern Argentina and Uruguay, rainfall from January to August was 20 to 50 per cent below average, leading to crop losses and low water storage levels."

Socioeconomic Impacts

The WMO writes, "Weather and climate hazards exacerbated challenges with food security, population displacements and impacts on vulnerable populations. They continued to trigger new, prolonged, and secondary displacement and increased the vulnerability of many who were already uprooted by complex multi-causal situations of conflict and violence."

It highlights the serious issue of food insecurity, citing "figures that the number of people who are acutely food insecure worldwide has more than doubled, from 149 million people before the COVID-19 pandemic to 333 million people in 2023 (in 78 monitored countries by the World Food Programme (WFP)). WFP global hunger levels remained unchanged from 2021 to 2022. However, these are still far above pre-COVID 19 pandemic levels: in 2022, 9.2 per cent of the global population (735.1 million people) were undernourished. Protracted conflicts, economic downturns, and high food prices, further exacerbated by high costs of agricultural inputs driven by ongoing and widespread conflict around the world, are at the root of high global food insecurity levels. This is aggravated by the effects of climate and weather extremes. In southern Africa, for example, the passage of Cyclone Freddy in February 2023 affected Madagascar, Mozambique, southern Malawi, and Zimbabwe. Flooding submerged extensive agricultural areas and inflicted severe damage on crops and the economy."

Climate Change Undermines Nearly All Sustainable Development Goals

At the half-time point of the 2030 Agenda [for Sustainable Development], the science is clear -- the planet is far off track from meeting its climate goals. This undermines global efforts to tackle hunger, poverty and ill-health, improve access to clean water and energy and many other aspects of sustainable development, according to a new multi-agency report coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Only 15 per cent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on track, says the United in Science 2023 report, which makes a systematic examination of the impact of climate change and extreme weather on the goals. It illustrates how weather, climate and water-related sciences can advance aims such as food and water security, clean energy, better health, sustainable oceans and resilient cities.

The annual report combines input and expertise from 18 organizations. It is issued ahead of the SDG Summit and Climate Ambition Summit at the United Nations General Assembly.

The report shows, for example, how weather predictions help boost food production and move closer to zero hunger. Integrating epidemiology and climate information helps understand and anticipate those diseases sensitive to climate. Early-warning systems help to reduce poverty by giving people the chance to prepare and limit the impact of extreme weather on their livelihoods.

The need for science and solutions is more urgent than ever.

Between 1970 and 2021, there were nearly 12,000 reported disasters from weather, climate and water extremes, causing over 2 million deaths and U.S.$4.3 trillion in economic losses. Over 90 per cent of these reported deaths and 60 per cent of economic losses occurred in developing economies, undermining sustainable development.

Rising global temperatures have been accompanied by more extreme weather. The chance of the annual mean global near-surface temperature temporarily exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for at least one of the next five years is 66 per cent and is increasing with time.

So far, there has been very limited progress in reducing the emissions gap for 2030 -- the gap between the emissions reductions promised by countries and the emissions reductions needed to achieve the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement. Fossil fuel carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions increased one per cent globally in 2022 compared to 2021 and preliminary estimates from January to June 2023 show a further 0.3 per cent rise.

To get on track to meet the Paris Agreement goals of limiting warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius and preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius, global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 30 per cent and 45 per cent, respectively, by 2030, with CO2 emissions getting close to net zero by 2050. This will require large-scale, rapid and systemic transformations.

Some future changes in climate are unavoidable, and potentially irreversible, but every fraction of a degree and ton of CO2 matters to limit global warming and achieve the SDGs, according to the report.

To read the report in full, click here.

(WMO, September 14, 2023)

Global Climate Strike, September 15-17, 2023

Youth of the World Fight for a
Bright Future for Humanity

Australia, September 15, 2023

Youth of the world organized a global climate strike from September 15-17, 2023. Tens of thousands of people took part in more than 500 actions in 54 countries on all seven continents, including in more than 55 cities across Canada.

Calling for an end to all fossil fuels the youth declared, "We strike because we have no choice. We are fighting for our future and for our children's future. We strike because there is still time to change, but time is of the essence. The sooner we act, the better our shared future will be. We are fighting for our future and our lives because they are directly threatened by the climate crisis and the ecological breakdown. We are taking action against it because we want to protect the beauty of the earth, the diversity of species and the lives of all beings. Our goal is to overcome the climate crisis and to create a society that lives in harmony with its fellow beings and its environment."

The youth of the world are taking their future in their own hands with determination, vision and organization to overcome all obstacles in their way and renew all moribund relations. They are fighting for humanity.

CANADA

St John's

Halifax

Montreal

Ottawa

Toronto

Brandon

Vancouver

Victoria

UNITED STATES

New York City

Chicago, IL

Palo Alto, CA

Sacramento, CA

LATIN AMERICA

Brazil

AFRICA

Kenya

Nigeria

Uganda

Zambia

Sierra Leone

South Africa

ASIA

Pakistan

India

Nepal

Sri Lanka

Nepal

Japan

Philippines

EUROPE

England

Ireland

Sweden

Netherlands

Germany

North Pole

COP15 Biodiversity Summit, Montreal, December 6-19, 2022

Indigenous Peoples Lay Their Claims and
Present Their Demands at COP15

Indigenous Peoples from Canada and the world put their demands and claims forward through various actions at the COP15 Biodiversity Summit in Montreal, that was held from December 6 to 19, 2022. Indigenous youth and allies disrupted Prime Minister Trudeau's opening speech on December 6 with chanting and drumming. They stood up and unfurled a banner which read, "Indigenous Genocide = Ecocide. To Save Biodiversity, Stop Invading Our Land. Colonialism Cannot Save You." As they were led out by security, they chanted, "Climate Leaders Don't Build Pipelines" and "Canada is Built on Stolen Land."

On December 14, under the theme "Land Back," Indigenous land defenders from Turtle Island (North America) and Abya Yala (Latin America) held a press conference to forcefully point out that Indigenous Peoples have been the custodians of Mother Earth for millennia and that Indigenous-led solutions, based on their sovereignty and thought material, are needed to advance the protection of biodiversity as a condition for the survival of the planet and humanity itself. They demanded that member states of the UN stop the genocidal policies of land and resource theft, degradation of Indigenous lands through resource extraction, and dislocation of Indigenous Peoples and attacks on their right to be.

Addressing the press conference, Mohawk artist, author and land defender Ellen Gabriel noted in her introduction, "Whether claiming to be progressive or otherwise, UN member states who are gathering here purportedly to defend biodiversity are the very ones responsible for the land dispossession of Indigenous Peoples. Human rights are interrelated, interdependent and interconnected. The violation of one means that you cannot enjoy your human rights to the fullest. That is how we as Indigenous Peoples see the world. The violation of Mother Earth means the violation of her peoples and our obligations to honour, respect, love and protect Mother Earth and all our relations. From pipelines, to chemical valleys, to forestry plantations, to urban sprawl, industrial farming and mining, Indigenous Peoples are facing the loss of their lands and resources to the extractive policies of governments and capitalist interests all around the world."

"In the face of this reality we are calling for Indigenous-led solutions to fight the climate crisis and widespread biodiversity loss," Ms. Gabriel said. She called on governments such as Canada's to respect Indigenous sovereignty and the right of Indigenous Peoples to their lands and waters as the basis of fighting against climate change and protecting biodiversity in a collaborative way. Sustainable development is based on the principles of prior, informed consent as embedded in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, she said.

Yaroslava Montenegro spoke about the plight of the Mapuche Indigenous people of Chile who are being criminalized for defending their lands which are constantly being threatened by private forestry interests. She pointed out, "As Mapuche Indigenous people, territorial control, or Land Back as it's known in English, is fundamental to the reconstruction of our Nation and the ngen -- the spiritual beings that help bring balance to our Ñuke Mapu -- Mother Earth." Ms. Montenegro pointed out that the laws brought in to persecute the Mapuche during the time of the U.S.-installed Pinochet dictatorship are still on the books and are being used to steal their lands.

Uyunkar Domingo Peas Nampichkai, an Achuar leader from Ecuador, noted that it is vital to protect the Amazon rain forest as this is the "heart of Mother Earth." He spoke out against the private interests that have waged a campaign to violently displace the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon and engage in forest and resources theft. He also denounced Canada for its role in displacing and stealing the resources of the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. He underscored that protecting Mother Earth needs to be a collaborative and respectful effort of the Indigenous Peoples and the peoples of the whole world who have to act now, collectively, to ensure the future of all peoples and the planet itself.

Another speaker was Sleydo' Molly Wickham, Wet'suwet'en land defender and spokesperson for the Gidimt'en Checkpoint. Wet'suwet'en land defenders are resisting the Coastal GasLink (CGL) Pipeline that is being forced through the sovereign territory of the Wet'suwet'en Nation without their consent and in violation of their laws. Sleydo' denounced the Canadian government's "touting Canada as a world leader in biodiversity, that they are protecting large land masses in so-called Canada and that they are providing millions of dollars to Indigenous Peoples to work on biodiversity." She pointed out that on December 8, 2022, while Canada was grandstanding at the COP15, CGL used explosives less that one kilometre from the Gidimt'en Checkpoint.

Sleydo' denounced the Trudeau government, the BC government and the RCMP and private security forces who are acting illegally on Wet'suwet'en territory terrorizing the people and wrecking the lands that the people depend upon for their being. They have prevented the people from hunting on their own territory and have destroyed the spawning grounds of the fish and eels that the Wet'suwet'en harvest for food. She pointed out that CGL has drilled part way under the headwaters of the Wedzin Kwa, which threatens the very being of her people. Sleydo' stated that as Indigenous people, "We know that our very existence relies on the biodiversity on our territories." She added, "We have the jurisdiction on biodiversity. We have the jurisdiction to control our lands, and to manage them according to our laws." She called on Canada to stop this illegal project on Wet'suwet'en territory and to respect Wet'suwet'en sovereignty.

Vanessa Gray, land defender from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation in the heart of Chemical Valley in Sarnia, denounced Canada for the impunity with which companies like Imperial Oil, Esso and Suncor have contaminated the home of her people for decades. "Our Indigenous traditions and teachings are directly rooted in the land. Our rights as Indigenous people protect the health of our environment for all future generations. When our communities face industrial violence, not only is our health impacted but our ability to practice our culture and our ceremonies are also impacted. Indigenous people stand together across colonial borders to fight the same extractive infrastructures and companies, we speak our own languages and uphold our responsibilities in solidarity with each other," she said.

Joziléia Daniza Jagso, an Indigenous activist and researcher from Brazil's National Association of Ancestral Indigenous Women Warriors (ANMIGA) addressed the press conference highlighting the efforts of land defenders in Brazil who have been organizing against the encroachments of private resource and lumber monopolies in the Amazon. She denounced the violent attacks of the Brazilian state which is criminalizing the resistance of the Indigenous Peoples for their rights.

The press conference was also used to announce the release of a new report by Indigenous Climate Action (ICA) entitled "Indigenous-led Climate Policy" which highlights the need for more Indigenous-led solutions based on respecting the rights and sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples as the solution to the climate crisis and widespread biodiversity loss. It was pointed out that for Indigenous Peoples "biodiversity means land back. It means upholding the rights of Indigenous Peoples and freeing the land from the grips of extractive economies that put a price tag on our lands and water."

The speakers at the press conference insisted that the final declaration of the COP15 Summit must put the concerns of Indigenous Peoples front and centre and also respect Indigenous-led solutions to ensure the protection of biodiversity and Mother Earth.

December 9, 2022 action during COP15 in Montreal

(Photos: TML, Peace Brigades International, A. Wines)

Africa Climate Summit, Nairobi, Kenya, September 4-6, 2023

People's Climate Assembly Demands Climate and Development Justice

The first Africa Climate Summit was held in Nairobi, Kenya September 4-6, 2023 under the theme "Driving Green Growth and Climate Finance Solutions for Africa and the World." It brought together leaders of the African countries who called for urgent action by developed countries to reduce carbon emissions and concrete reforms to the global financial system. They also proposed a new financing mechanism to restructure their debt that is impeding their development, and that will increase access to funding to address climate change and the serious impact it is having on the African continent.

The Africa People's Climate Assembly also took place in Nairobi from September 3-6, 2023, and put forward demands of the people to take control of their future and for decolonization and control of their social and environmental affairs. The Assembly had both in-person and virtual events to enable wider engagement and participation from across Africa and beyond "to share experiences of climate change and proffer people-centred solutions." The Assembly was a dynamic and inclusive space for people to raise their voices.

The Assembly stated its position from the outset: "With the climate and development crises being supercharged by the very institutions and structures that created it, private sector centred, government bureaucrats-led, and international financial institutions' responses and policy recommendations as they stand today will not change the course for millions of Africans living in poverty.

"The same policies being proposed today and advanced in the Africa Climate Summit will continue to pillage African resources while concentrating power and wealth in the hands of the rich few. In this context, people powered organizing and people-centred policy response is more urgent than ever to advance alternatives to the current climate and development trajectory."

The key themes of the Assembly were:

- To give voice to the demand for Climate Finance, Climate Reparations, debt relief and reform of the global financial architecture, including actualization of loss and damage compensation in line with the COP 27 outcomes.

- Sustainable agriculture and land use as the path to food sovereignty, not export-oriented industrial agriculture.

- Developing a Pan-African industrial policy to leverage Africa's natural resources and human capabilities for high value-added industrial development that serves the needs of African economies.

- Discussing the risks of stranded assets/fossil-fuel infrastructure and the potential of sustainable alternatives in Africa.

- Biodiversity protection and ecosystem restoration.

- Human rights and women's rights, including compensation for victims of climate-induced disasters, with women in particular carrying the higher care burden to sustain families as a result of the climate crisis, and protection from prosecution of climate justice defenders.

The People's court of the Assembly held public hearings where individuals from climate vulnerable communities and those impacted by the extraction of critical minerals shared testimonials on the impacts climate-induced disasters and extraction of critical minerals have had on their lives and their communities.

An evening vigil was held to commemorate the lives lost through climate-induced disasters, and climate activists who have lost their lives as a result of their commitment to fighting for climate justice.

Hundreds joined in a People's March in the streets of Nairobi to proclaim the people's demands and the urgent need to address Africa's climate, energy and development challenge under the principles that should underpin the climate discourse.

Turning Africa into a Source of Carbon Credits
Only Benefits Polluters

People's March at Africa Climate summit, Nairobi, Kenya, September 4, 2023.

A common solution to climate change proposed by private business and wealthy countries is the so-called carbon market. This market may be based on a cap-and-trade system, where companies are allotted certain caps on emissions, which if they do not exceed, can be traded with other companies which have exceeded their allotment. It can also be based on activities like measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or planting trees that will absorb CO2, a common greenhouse gas, which are given a monetary value and then traded like stocks and used by companies to offset their emission of greenhouse gases. A rebuttal of the carbon market credits agenda was published in time for the Africa Climate Summit where it is being pushed by the oil and gas oligopolies who are primarily responsible for the environmental crisis. The report, published by Power Shift Africa, is entitled The Africa Carbon Markets Initiative: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.

The report says that while African countries are rightly demanding "climate funding from polluting countries and companies in the global north, who have caused the climate crisis that is devastating African people, economy and nature," carbon markets are not the answer. They in fact benefit the polluters, the fossil fuel companies and the market brokers, and will drive pollution beyond climate limits and put neo-colonial obstructions to the attainment of genuine African development pathways. "It is a wolf in sheep's clothing that will bite back creating numerous new and serious problems while not providing any real benefits."

Carbon markets give licence to the polluters creating the environmental crisis to continue to emit huge quantities of greenhouse gases and enable them to "offset" these emissions by purchasing carbon credits. It is smoke and mirrors and has nothing to do with realizing the objectives of the Paris Agreement of 2015.

The two biggest winners from carbon markets are the fossil fuel companies, as it allows companies across the world to continue to pollute with impunity, and the financial brokers who buy and sell the credits with huge mark ups. It is a kind of accounting fraud that would be illegal elsewhere. Creative methodologies such as carbon credits, or designating diesel or coal as "clean" do not overcome reality.

The same kind of creative accounting is used by the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative to claim carbon markets will benefit Africa's sustainable development and jobs. In fact, it arbitrarily "deems" that X number of jobs will be created by such and such project, whether or not the jobs actually materialize.

According to the report, "African countries will be sorely disappointed that the actual flows of funds are far below the stated market value." The report provides the following example: "The claimed global market valuation of $2 billion represents the price of transactions in the market, but the price paid to the clean energy or nature-based projects delivering the credits is far lower due to multiple actors taking their 'cut.' A market worth $100 could be due to a single $10 credit representing one tonne of carbon dioxide being traded 10 times, and the price paid to projects in Africa may be less than a third of the price paid for the credit by the Western company....

"The same credit can then be traded between brokers an 'infinite' number of times before it is sold to its final end-user. Conflicts of interests are inherent to carbon markets, due to the imaginary nature of the commodity -- 'avoided carbon.'"

The report concludes: "Fossil fuel companies are the ultimate winners. Fossil fuel companies are active in diverse roles throughout the carbon market, including as project developers and intermediaries, often through subsidiaries. Fossil fuel companies are also brokering credits, so winning twice as they sell their fossil fuels to companies who then buy their credits to offset the emissions. A win-win for fossil fuel companies only strengthens the main architects of the crisis.

"The endorsers of this report therefore call on the countries involved in the African Climate Summit to withdraw from and take no further interest in the Africa Carbon Market Initiate and all carbon market mechanisms."

The full text of the report is available here.

COP27 Climate Change Conference, Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt,
November 6-20, 2022

COP27 in Brief

The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27 was held from November 6 to 20, 2022 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. More than 45,000 participants attended, including official government delegations and some 100 world leaders. Lobbyists for the big banks and climate hedge funds were everywhere, including integrated into official delegations such as Canada's. Lobbyists for the oil and gas industry outnumbered the delegations of many countries. At the same time, security was tight.

While COP27 was a United Nations event, the organizers went to great pains to ensure the kind of protests seen at COP26 in Glasgow demanding that the rich be held to account could not take place this time. Even the official COP27 app for participants to access services and information turned out to harbour spyware to monitor conversations, activities and movements of every participant that downloaded the app.

The financiers and their political representatives did their utmost to have COP27 focus on rolling out a climate change agenda according to the interests of the financial oligarchy. This aim was counter to the demand of the majority of countries and peoples of the world that reparations for loss and damages due to climate change and for adaptation should be paid for by the rich who have created the problem in the first place.

The financiers, climate hedge funds and their political representatives at COP27 pushed an agenda that the victims of climate change globally should indebt themselves even further through a variety of "green" pay-the-rich schemes, aimed at diverting the people and reaping profits for the very people who have caused the crisis. "Loss and damage" funding, which was agreed to at COP 26 as a key element for COP27 was completely left off the initial agenda. It was only the insistence of those countries who are suffering the most from climate change, led by the G77+China, that forced inclusion of a loss and damage fund onto the agenda. The G77+China represents over 134 countries and 5 billion of the world's population.

Indeed, the United Nations declared the key achievement at COP27 was the "historic decision to establish and operationalize a loss and damage fund, particularly for nations most vulnerable to the climate crisis." At the same time a UN news release summing up COP27 said that "while the negotiated text recognized the need for financial support from a variety of sources, no decisions have been made on who should pay into the fund, where this money will come from and which countries will benefit."

The global financiers and their political representatives did their utmost to renege on the decision taken a year earlier in Glasgow at COP26 to establish such a fund. In fact they have not followed through on most of their climate crisis pledges. None of the imperialist countries have fulfilled their commitments made as far back as 2009 to fund $100 billion a year for climate change mitigation. The lobbyists for the oil and gas at COP 27 also succeeded in rolling back previous decisions to limit hydro carbon greenhouse gas emissions. They succeeded in having oil and gas designated as "green" energy at COP27.

U.S. Grandstanding

The U.S. went to COP27 to assert its "leadership" position and tout a number of new initiatives. President Biden addressed the summit on November 11. He highlighted the Inflation Reduction Act, as the "most important climate bill in the history of our country." In fact, it is a multi-billion dollar pay-the-rich scheme to establish U.S. hegemony in "green technologies" at the expense of U.S. competitors such as China, and U.S. allies as well, including Germany, France, Japan, south Korea, and others. Biden declared that his administration is working with "our Congress to deliver more than $11 billion a year to international climate finance."

U.S. Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry was there throughout, announcing one pay-the-rich program launched by U.S. imperialism after the other, including: Biden's $3 billion "Green Shipping Challenge" and $250 million for Accelerating Adaptation in Africa and the U.S. Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE). The U.S. Special Representative for Global Partnerships signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (a multilateral agency that has a joint mandate with the World Trade Organization) to promote "green" corporations. The U.S. gangsters announced no less than 12 such programs and pledged, yet again, billions of dollars to assert so-called U.S. leadership globally on climate crisis action.

People of the World Demand Those Responsible for Climate Crisis Be Held to Account

Many small and developing countries, farmers and Indigenous organizations at the COP27 conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt spoke out for an agenda that actually addressed their concerns.

Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, for example, said the "debates and negotiations at COP 27 should lead to substantial decisions to avoid the climate catastrophe we are heading for." He added that "the contribution of developed countries in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities cannot be postponed."

Elba Rosa Perez Montoya, Cuban minister of science, technology and environment (CITMA) who led the Cuban delegation said that COP27 had the particularity of coinciding with a global multi-sectoral crisis: environmental, economic, with marked inflation, health, energy and military. She pointed out that such particularity warrants an appropriate response. Cuba pledged to support the efforts of developing countries to secure the financial mechanisms required to deal with the losses and damages caused by climate change and to better focus the debates on the definition of a new financial goal, based on the needs of the underdeveloped countries.

Brazil, South Africa, India and China speaking as one under the acronym BASIC addressed the urgent need for a fundamental transformation and modernization of the global financial architecture, including a systematic reform of the multilateral development banks to make them fit-for-purpose in supporting sustainable development and just and equitable transitions. They said "the key is to address risk aversion in investing in developing countries, to prioritize grant support and to dramatically lower the cost and conditionality on borrowing money that places multilateral support out of reach of the majority of the world's population, including in BASIC countries."

BASIC called out the fraud of developed countries for making pledges then backtracking on their commitments. BASIC pointed to the two-faced stance of the likes of the U.S. and the EU trying to force developing countries to move away from fossil fuels for their energy needs while U.S. and European consumption is on the rise. Such double standards they said are incompatible with climate equity and justice.

Many of the pledges to the Adaptation Fund made at COP26 remain unfulfilled they said, citing as an example the U.S.$100 billion per year commitment, set in 2009 that has never been met. Developing countries on the other hand, and especially the BASIC countries, have had to pay many times that amount from their domestic resources or from commercial loans which they can ill-afford. They added that finance to developing countries comes with unilateral and onerous conditions and eligibility criteria, predominantly in the form of loans rather than grants, thus aggravating the financial challenges faced by developing countries.

Pakistan, which spoke on behalf of the G77+China group, welcomed the establishment of a fund to address loss and damage caused by climate-induced disasters calling it "a momentous achievement, especially for the Group of 77 and China." Developing countries have been demanding such a fund for the past 30 years according to Pakistan government officials.

Climate Action, a climate justice organization, assessed the COP27 outcome this way. The G77+China "stood united and resolutely behind the demand for the creation of a fund at COP27 for addressing Loss and Damage. This despite intense pressure from countries like the USA who attempted to block the creation of a fund from the onset, and some EU nations who attempted to derail the talks with watered-down options that would divide developing countries While COP27 delivered on addressing the consequences of the climate crisis -- it failed to address the root cause of the crisis: Fossil Fuels. With no agreement to have a fair and equitable phase out of all fossil fuels -- coal, oil and gas, it has laid bare the capture of this process by fossil fuel lobbyists and vested interests."

Climate Finance Schemes Will Increase
Burden of Indebtedness

A series of "thematic days" took place at the COP27 summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. They were Finance Day; Science Day; Youth and Future Generations Day; Decarbonization Day; Adaptation and Agriculture Day; Gender Day; Water Day; Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) and Civil Society Day; Energy Day; Biodiversity Day; and Solutions Day.

The main aim of Finance Day was to provide mechanisms to facilitate borrowing by so-called developing countries to finance projects that it is claimed would assist them to shift towards sustainable development and meet targets from emissions reductions set in the Paris Agreement. Some news agencies give an estimate that the world will require between $4 trillion and $7 trillion per year for such undertakings. One such financial borrowing mechanism announced at COP27 was the Reducing the Cost of Sustainable Borrowing initiative.

Several panels addressed the matter of financing:

- Mobilizing Finance for Climate Action called for the doubling of 2019 finance levels by 2025 by making the commitment for developed countries to step up financing.

- Reducing Cost of Green Borrowing is said to have showcased solutions and pledges needed to reduce the cost of green loans.

- Closing the Finance Gap for Nature-Based Solutions, discussed sustainable agriculture and forest management, including measures such as agroforestry that it was claimed could "deliver over $2 trillion annually in economic benefits, generate millions of jobs in developing countries and improve food security."

- Special Role of Multilateral Development Banks/Commercial Banks/Philanthropies in Climate Finance reaffirmed that multi-lateral development banks, "in spite of institutional challenges, are by far the most effective intermediaries in mobilizing and allocating resources that will benefit the poorest countries."

Regarding financing of Mitigation and Adaptation Actions, the COP27 Presidency convened high level ministerial dialogue on "The New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance."

The COP27 Presidency and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa launched an initiative, "Reducing the Cost of Green and Sustainable Borrowing" for African countries, with the ostensible aim of enabling "more sustainable financing through mechanisms including Green and Social and Sustainable Bonds." The UN also published a list of projects worth $120 billion that investors could back to help poorer countries cut emissions and adapt to the impacts of global warming.

A question that comes to mind is what has been the track record of climate financing at this time?

In 2009, developed countries agreed to jointly mobilize U.S.$100 billion per year by 2020 to support developing countries in taking climate action. This was reaffirmed in the 2015 Paris Agreement reached at COP21, where the Parties agreed to extend the U.S.$100 billion goal through to 2025. Only in recent years has this commitment been met. In 2019, only U.S.$79.6 billion was raised, up only two per cent from 2018. In 2020, $83 billion was raised. About $89.6 billion was in 2021. Finally, 2022 data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development indicates that the $100 billion mark was exceeded, and this is also the case for 2023.

Unsurprisingly, climate funding is looked at from the point of view of serving private interests and wealthy countries, not a human-centred outlook. A 2021 joint report by the International Monetary Fund and the International Energy Agency stated that globally, $5 trillion of investments is required by 2030 to facilitate the shift to clean energy. To that end, the World Economic Forum and World Bank are now pushing "blended financing," a pay-the-rich scheme that it is claimed will pay for measures to transition countries to net-zero carbon emissions, by using public funds to guarantee returns for private investors. A February 2022 article from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group explains:

"Private investors will often shy away from certain projects or markets because of specific risks that can’t be well managed. This is especially true in developing economies, or with the introduction of new technologies in more mature markets. Blended finance makes use of small amounts of concessional donor funds to mitigate specific investment risks. This rebalances the risk-reward equation for pioneering investments that wouldn’t be able to proceed on strictly commercial terms.

"For example, Uzbekistan is one of the most energy-intensive countries in the world. Its power infrastructure is old and inefficient. However, it is blessed with solar, wind, and hydro resources that could position the country as a clean-energy leader in Central Asia.

"To put Uzbekistan on the path to sustainable energy production, IFC helped finance a 100-megawatt solar power plant, the nation’s first grid-scale renewable energy project. As part of the $110-million financing packaging, the Canada-IFC Blended Climate Finance Program provided a loan of $17.5 million on concessional terms, with IFC matching the same loan amount on the same terms. Blended finance helped mitigate the risks of this project in a sector with a new and untested regulatory framework, and made a climate-friendly project possible that otherwise wouldn’t have been commercially viable."

Many of the countries that are the most affected by climate change are the least responsible for it, as well as being the same countries that are amongst the poorest and the most indebted to the international finance institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Another question that comes to mind is why is the burden on these countries to further indebt themselves to the World Bank and IMF, and then risk having "structural reform" imposed, to change the direction of their economies to one aimed at servicing such debts?

Those super-exploited countries that are already being seriously affected by climate change managed to put the issue of reparations, termed "loss and damage finance," on the agenda of COP27. These countries are said to be pushing for a dedicated fund for countries to contribute to for this purpose. The proposal is said to be receiving pushback from the European Union and the U.S. At COP26 in Glasgow, the EU and U.S. "blocked a proposal to establish a dedicated fund for loss and damage, agreeing instead to a 'dialogue' with no clear end goal," Euractiv reports.

Similarly at COP27, the European Commission's chief advisor for international climate relations, Jacob Werksman, said the EU welcomed "a process on funding for addressing loss and damage" at the UN level and backed the new agenda item. However, he said the new agenda item "was agreed to under certain conditions," including that "we would not be discussing this issue of liability and compensation." He also insisted that the process be time-bound, with concrete outcomes expected at the latest by 2024. He further stated, "The scope of our conversation is not going to be focused on one single solution, as some parties see it, to the challenge of loss and damage -- the establishment of a new fund or a facility -- at this COP. Instead, we will start a conversation that is broad enough to be able to contain within it multiple solutions to what we see as a very complex and challenging problem."

Meanwhile, EU officials in Brussels gave a similarly detached and bureaucratic answer to the urgent cries for assistance for those countries already experiencing calamitous and deadly effects of climate change. EU officials said loss and damage finance is "part and parcel" of the Paris Agreement, but the creation of a new fund is off the table, for the time being, and that plenty of funding is already available under existing aid programs. A senior EU official who was briefing the press stated, "I think it's important that we first identify what are the needs, second that we see how we can already mobilize existing resources both from the public and the private sector, globally, bilaterally and multilaterally, and then we move on from there."

In a similar vein, Monica Medina, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs told media recently, "We're focused on using the tools that we have." Euractiv reports that the U.S. has already put large amounts of money in the Green Climate Fund and multilateral development banks, which distribute aid to countries affected by climate change. "I think the focus should be on getting some of that funding to where it's needed rather than trying to create another fund," Medina stated.

As of November 10, 2022 several countries made pledges to loss and damage funding at COP27: Belgium -- 2.5 million euros to Mozambique; Austria -- 50 million euros from its existing budget over the next four years; New Zealand -- NZ$20 million (almost U.S.$12 million); Germany -- 170 million euros to the Global Shield Against Climate Risks initiative, which funds climate risk insurance and prevention support for at-risk nations; Canada -- CAD$7 million to support the Global Shield Initiative; Ireland -- 10 million euros to support the Global Shield. At COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, Scotland pledged an initial 2 million pounds (about U.S.$2.3 million), followed by an additional 5 million pounds during COP 27 in 2022. Denmark, committed 100 million Danish kroner (U.S.$13.7 million) in September 2022.

Also at the COP27, UN Secretary General António Gutteres stated that greenwashing has been identified as a real problem by the UN, and that empty and deceptive pledges by states and private corporate interests not only makes prediction impossible and evaluation of progress unreliable, but puts the green agenda in disrepute.

(With files from COP27, IANS, World Bank, Euractiv, Reuters, New York Times.)

(To access articles individually click on the black headline.)

PDF

PREVIOUS ISSUES | HOME

Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca

Montreal, Earth Day 2023

Quebec City, Earth Day 2023

Baie Comeau, Earth Day 2023

(With files from Government of Quebec, Radio-Canada, Le Devoir)

Ministry of the Environment's So-called Transparency and Accountability

Serious Harm and the Balance of Convenience

More Court Actions Against Northvolt

Notes

1. Paul Journel, "Un boomerang contre Northvolt," La Presse, January 27, 2024.

2. Motion for Interim Interlocutory Injunction, Judgment number 500-17-128496-240, Judge David R. Collier, Superior Court of Quebec, District of Montreal, January 26, 2024.

and

3. Environmental Talking Points for the Northvolt Development Project, Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke.

(With files from Superior Court of Québec, Quebec Centre for Environmental Law, Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke, Le Devoir, La Presse, Actualités, Journal de Montréal)

Privatization

Dispossession of Our Rights

Big Private Interests Trump Scientific Findings

Comparative table of the conclusions of the MELCCFP analysis reports for the MC2 and Northvolt projects. Source Radio-Canada

Scientist Fired for Exposing Interference at the Ministry of Agriculture

Notes

1 "Northvolt: Québec a retiré des arguments scientifiques de son analyse," Thomas Gerbet, Radio-Canada, February 23, 2024.

2. "BAPE pour Northvolt: Québec a éclipsé la recommandation des fonctionnaires," Thomas Gerbet, Radio-Canada, April 9, 2024.

Greenhouse Gases

Rising Temperatures

Rising Ocean Temperatures

Loss of Glaciers and Sea Ice

Extreme Weather and Climate Events

Socioeconomic Impacts

Australia, September 15, 2023

CANADA St John's

Halifax

Montreal

Ottawa

Toronto

Brandon

Vancouver

Victoria

UNITED STATES New York City

Chicago, IL

Palo Alto, CA

Sacramento, CA

LATIN AMERICA Brazil

AFRICA Kenya

Nigeria

Uganda

Zambia

Sierra Leone

South Africa

ASIA Pakistan

India

Nepal

Sri Lanka

Nepal

Japan

Philippines

EUROPE England

Ireland

Sweden

Netherlands

Germany

North Pole

December 9, 2022 action during COP15 in Montreal

(Photos: TML, Peace Brigades International, A. Wines)

People's March at Africa Climate summit, Nairobi, Kenya, September 4, 2023.

U.S. Grandstanding

(With files from COP27, IANS, World Bank, Euractiv, Reuters, New York Times.)

CANADA

St John's

UNITED STATES

New York City

LATIN AMERICA

Brazil

AFRICA

Kenya

ASIA

Pakistan

EUROPE

England