Dalhousie students stripped down to bathing suits and chanted "It's getting hot in here" at a climate rally in the Killam Library.

December 6, 2009

by Tiffany Limgenco

HALIFAX – The city of Halifax has witnessed popular actions as citizens rally together to promote greater awareness on climate change. Participants began with a mini climate change parade on November 28 along Spring Garden Road. Students, professionals and other activists marched down the crowded street, encouraging people to call Prime Minister Harper and voice their concerns on the issue. This was followed by “Wake Up to Climate Change” at 8 am on December 1. Concerned Haligonians came together in support of the cause and grabbed the attention of rush hour traffic, as well as CBC Radio located across the street.

All of the events hope to achieve proper political representation at the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference, December 7 – 18, in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Upcoming events include participation in the Climate Change Fast from December 6 to 13. The world-wide fast is focused on showing the effects of climate change on the individual and how food security is an issue the world must face. This will be followed by the Climate Change Candlelight Vigil on December 12 at the Grand Parade Square from 5 to 6 pm.

Halifax climate activists will be rewarding Megan Leslie, Member of Parliament, for supporting Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Bill. The bill requires residents to reduce their greenhouse emissions to 25% less than 1990 levels by 2020.

Rising ocean waters is one of the effects of global warming. Photo: www.flickoff.org

by Erica Butler
October 20, 2009

Listen here (30:26)

HALIFAX – While the warming of the ocean is posing huge problems for marine life in the tropics, the North Atlantic ocean where Nova Scotia is situated is less prone to warming waters due to an increase in cold water coming in from melting ice in the arctic.

But it turns out warmer waters are not the only thing that we have to cope with – massive increases in the Carbon Dioxide content of the ocean are causing it to become more acidic, and this acidification is posing big problems for marine life, including some pretty important animals at the very bottom of the ocean food chain.

Allyn Clarke is an oceanographer with the Bedford Institute of Oceanography. He came in to CKDU’s studios to explain what’s going on with the ocean, and what we should be worried about, including warming waters and acidification.

This podcast is the second in a series dealing with climate chaos, from October 19 to 23, 2009 on Operation Wake Up, leading up to October 24th, the international Climate Action Day, celebrated in Halifax at 2 pm at the North Commons.