It seems to be the elephant in the room, especially for a resident of Alberta. We don’t discuss oil and gas; it’s a very political topic, designed to create division among Canadians. Lucy expected that there would be a cap on oil production announced by the Federal Government to help meet the targets of CO2 reductions for 2030 and 2050 with the survival of our planet at stake. That does not seem to be coming. The cap focuses only on emissions and not on oil and gas production. Because of the carbon tax imposed on companies, the focus for oil and gas companies is on reducing emissions and making the production of oil and gas much cleaner. Lucky for the oil and gas companies, the oil price of late has been high, as these efficiencies are expensive. As well the Feds are helping fund innovation. For example, the pricey ‘carbon capture’ seemed at one point to be unattainable, and now, within only a few yeas, is considered mainstream. Who knows, Canada may be well positioned to have the cleanest oil and gas by 2050, and this is good, since the world will want our oil and gas and a certain amount of it will always be needed. But, in line with recent CBC opinion polling, production limits should also be part of the equation, as every approach and tool and type of ingenuity will have to be part of the equation. We humans are continually behind in meeting every target that has been set to limit our planet from exceeding an increase of 1.5 degrees.

Options to cap and cut oil and gas sector greenhouse gas emissions to achieve 2030 goals and net-zero by 2050 suggested by the Government of Canada

Canada’s current target is to cut emissions by 2030 to 55 to 60 per cent of what they were in 2005. That will require cutting around 300 million tonnes a year from current levels. Canada plans to invest in alternative energies including biogas and hydrogen, smaller unit nuclear power and carbon capture, utilization and storage.

In the fall of 2022 the Federal government, with ‘Best-in-class draft guidance’ sought feedback on how to proceed in its two proposed options for capping oil and gas sector emissions.

Choice 1: Cap and Trade System that sets a regulated limit on emissions from the sector or

Choice 2:Modifying the pollution pricing benchmark requirements to create price-driven limits on emissions from the oil and gas sector.

(A decision is expected in 2023. The feedback sent to the Federal government from the Pembina Institute will be blogged at the end of this post.)

“Reaching Canada’s 2030 climate targets and achieving net-zero will require significant additional reductions, and there is no single or simple solution for transitioning Canada’s oil and gas sector towards net-zero by 2050. Given the unique features of each subsector, multiple pathways will be required. Solutions will also vary regionally, depending on access to infrastructure, carbon storage, energy grid mixes, and availability of clean electricity and other fuels.”  

Key Decarbonization Options for the Oil and Gas Sector

“Electrification includes the deployment of co-generation, renewables, small nuclear reactors, or electrification of transport equipment, operational processes and low-temperature heat processes to reduce GHG emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels throughout the oil and gas sector.

Steam displacement refers to the use of solvents, such as diluent, propane, and natural gas that chemically dilute bitumen to reduce viscosity and allow it to flow at lower temperatures, reducing the need to generate and use steam by in-situ oil sands production, a major source of GHG emissions

Fuel switching opportunities include replacing petroleum coke boilers with natural gas equipment and the expanded use of low-carbon or renewable fuels for heat and energy, including clean hydrogen.

Energy efficiency and other process improvements include upgrades to equipment, use of advanced leak detection and repair technologies, digitization and automation of processes, among other solutions.

Methane Abatement options include continuous leak detection and repair, electrification of equipment such as compressors and pneumatic devices fueled by natural gas and limiting fugitive releases from tanks and wells. “

Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) has potential to mitigate a significant share of GHG emissions from the oil and gas sector by 2050.

“About 88% of oil sands emissions come from burning fossil fuels to extract bitumen during mining or in-situ operations and to upgrade that bitumen into synthetic crude. Oil sands producers have been investigating ways to reduce the steam-oil ratio which would reduce the amount of natural gas required for bitumen extraction. The use of solvents to assist the steam extraction process can become cost-effective at higher crude prices. Advances in post-combustion capture could also help capture CO₂ emissions from combustion equipment. For example, companies such as Svante and Fluor have been developing next generation absorbent and adsorbent technologies, and Shell Canada’s Cansolv technology has been deployed successfully to recover CO₂ from the Boundary Dam coal-fired generating station in Saskatchewan.”

“Some emerging solutions, such as clean hydrogen blending to replace natural gas, the use of solvents for steam displacement, and methane capture and use, could be implemented in the coming years, while others such as small nuclear reactors could take more than a decade to implement.”

Investments Being Made By the Oil and Gas Sector

“The oil and gas sector is one of the leading investors in clean technology and innovation in Canada, making an estimated 58% of all energy research and development investments (averaging about $1B/year) over the decade to 2019. Oil and gas companies such as Shell Canada, Whitecap Resources, Wolf Midstream, Enhance Energy, and Northwest Redwater Partnership are leaders in carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS).“

“Other companies have announced investments and plans to decarbonize their operations in the coming decades. For example, Pembina Pipeline announced a $195 million project to fuel operations with wind power in 2021. Suncor Energy and ATCO are in the early stages of developing a clean hydrogen project that could reduce emissions at Suncor’s Edmonton oil refinery by 60 per cent and provide broader benefits for Alberta. Tidewater Midstream and Imperial Oil are advancing renewable diesel projects. These are just some recent examples of innovative projects for emissions reductions in the oil and gas sector.”

“Many Canadian oil and gas companies have already set net-zero-emissions targets and have developed decarbonization plans. This includes the Pathways Alliance, comprised of Canadian Natural Resources, Cenovus Conoco Phillips Canada, Imperial Oil, MEG Energy and Suncor Energy — which collectively account for 95% of Canada’s oil sands production. To achieve net-zero by 2050, this Initiative proposes a $75 billion investment to deploy a combination of clean electrification, operational efficiencies, emerging technologies such as low-emission hydrogen and carbon capture, small modular nuclear-image below), and offsets to eliminate 68 Mt from oil sands operations.”

“Central to these planned activities is the point-source capture of CO₂ from oil sands facilities, which would travel by pipeline from Fort McMurray to be sequestered permanently underground. The Pathways Initiative, with a slogan “Let’s Clean the Air” envisions a phased GHG reduction over three 10-year segments to 2050, starting with 22 Mt of absolute emission reductions by 2030. The Pathways Alliance, representing Canada’s six largest oil sands companies, is (spending many billions of dollars) advancing early work necessary to build one of the world’s largest carbon capture and storage (CCS) facilities in the oil sands region of northern Alberta.”

“Canada’s oil and gas sector is poised to leverage its expertise to gain a competitive advantage in a range of emerging industries. Clean fuels such as hydrogen are expected to help Canada achieve its net-zero target while creating jobs and economic opportunity in Canada. Given the essential role hydrogen plays as a feedstock in refining, increasing the use of clean hydrogen presents an opportunity to drive down emissions from the sector^Footnote 20. Growth in production of value-added non-combustion products such as asphalt, petrochemicals, zero-carbon fuels or carbon fibres also presents major opportunities in a world transitioning to net-zero.”

http://surl.li/eglzu

What Does the Pembina Institute Think?

PUBLICATION – Sept. 29, 2022 – By Janetta McKenzie, Scott MacDougall, Jan Gorski, Eyab Al-Aini

In September 2022, the Pembina Institute submitted comments to Environment and Climate Change Canada on its two proposed options for capping oil and gas sector emissions (as listed above).

This cap will be crucial in ensuring that Canada’s oil and gas sector contributes its fair share of greenhouse gas emissions reductions to Canada’s economy-wide targets (of a 45% reduction below 2005 levels by 2030, and net-zero by 2050). Oil and gas production remains Canada’s largest source of emissions, and unlike some other industrial sectors, its emissions have continued to grow in recent years — by 19% between 2005 and 2019. To do its fair share, Canada’s oil and gas sector must also reduce its emissions by 45% from 2005 levels by 2030.

Recommendation Summary

“Environment and Climate Change Canada should finalize and announce a clear emissions cap target for 2026 and 2030. At a minimum, the cap for oil and gas sector emissions should be set at a 45% reduction from 2005 levels by 2030, with clear implementation timelines. Providing this level of certainty on the trajectory and ambition of the cap is critical to incentivize urgent investments in decarbonization. Recent opinion polling illustrates that most Canadians agree that it is time for a cap on emissions from oil and gas production, to ensure that this sector does its fair share in achieving Canada’s climate targets.”

“Both cap Options 1 and 2 are complex, and require careful design and implementation to ensure appropriate emissions reductions, while preparing Canadian industry for a net-zero global economy…… and with the urgency of reducing Canada’s rising oil and gas sector emissions, Option 1 (cap-and-trade) is preferred. It likely offers the earliest implementation date (in 2024 or early 2025) and could be designed to work with existing measures to further incentivize the oil and gas sector to do its fair share to meet Canada’s 2030 emission reduction targets.”

“If the Government of Canada does not believe Option 1 can implemented in these stated timelines, we propose a third option — a system of facility-level emissions limits similar to the federal coal-fired electricity facility limits. This interim option should be rapidly implemented to drive timely emission reductions at oil and gas facilities. Option 1 could still be developed in parallel and implemented when ready. At that time, the facility limits could be rescinded, if found to be redundant with cap-and-trade.“

http://surl.li/egmak

We shall see what the Federal Government decides in 2023. The conservative government of Alberta believes that the Federal government can not mandate cuts in oil and gas production, an speculates that the aggressive emissions reduction targets for the oil and gas sector is only possible with cuts to production as well. Interesting! This is also what most environmentalists are saying.

 The Government is committed to eliminating inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, and developing a plan to phase out public financing for the fossil fuel sector including by federal Crown corporations. It has also established the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) and the Energy Innovation Program (EIP).

Are CO2 Emissions Being Underestimated?

In an article by Nature.org titled” Measured Canadian Oil Sands CO2 Emissions Made Using internationally Recommended Methods” the abstract says:

https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v10y2019i1d10.1038_s41467-019-09714-9.html

CBC Survey “ Albertans Aren’t Afraid Of Transitioning Away From Oil”

November 16, 2022 random poll of 1200 people posted by Elise Avon Scheel for CBC News

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-oil-and-gas-poll-1.6652674

So 62 % of Edmontonians and 64% of Calgarians and 50% of those in the rest of the province believe that transitioning Alberta’s economy away from fossil fuels could be a good thing. There is an attitude shift happening in Alberta! Maybe we can talk about oil after all!

There is nothing like a close look at a part of nature to inspire us to want to take better care of Mother Earth. Some of the grebes in Canada are considered “threatened” as their numbers are declining. This is mostly due to the accumulation of fertilizers and fewer ponds. Here is a photo book Lucy put together about the grebes we have in Canada with an intimate look at the lifecycle of the Horned Grebe seen in her local pond in 2021. It was most entertaining watching these Horned Grebes work in a bit of a chaotic, frantic way to create a nest, a vey soggy nest, and to lay eggs in that nest all the while reinforcing it. Then another visit to the pond showed how the nest did not survive the spring snow storm, and all that could be seen was an egg at the bottom of the pond. But fear not, for these tenacious waterbirds set to create a new nest across the small pond, and laid 3 new eggs.

Information was collected from Wikipedia: Grebes, from All About Birds, from Sibley Birds West, and from the Audubon Field Guides.

Here is a link to the BBC Life: The Grebes on Youtube:

https:www.youtube.com/watvh?v=ZbRrxw-H6xA

It is hurricane season and it seems that the past few years there is one hurricane after another hitting the Carribean and eastern USA. This year Canada was not buffered from the storm. Hurricane Fiona, on September 24, 2022 was the strongest recorded hurricane to hit Canada (based on atmospheric pressure of 932.6 millibars) with winds peaking at 179km/h and waves as high as 30 metres leaving 500,000 people without power. Sadly three people died as a result of the storm: one woman in Channel-Port aux Basques was washed out to sea in her house, another man in Nova Scotia was swept out to sea and is presumed dead, and a third person died of carbon monoxide poisoning in PEI while operating an electric generator.

Worst hit was Port aux Basques NFLD where at least 20 homes were damaged or destroyed and 200 people displaced. Much of the town’s history is lost. In PEI there was severe erosion of the provinces dune system and Teacup Rock tourist attraction was destroyed. Overall the insured losses are estimated to be between $300-$700 million which would make it the costliest hurricane in Canada.

en.Wikipedia.org/Hurricane Fiona

In the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona’s great destruction, Canadians will require much grit and resilience to face the rebuilding. So much of the land was swept away reshaping the coastline in some low lying areas, so decisions about where to rebuild and where not to rebuild will need to be carefully considered, as well as how to rebuild so the new buildings can better withstand the forces. Such a storm makes each of us consider how safe the location of our home is.

According to The Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction there are ways to make new buildings stronger to withstand hurricanes. Their website has extensive information on ways to make one’s home stronger with some suggestions being free to implement, and others costly, and they say most suggestions work when building new, as they are hard to retrofit. They have broken down their recommendations according to type of disaster and offer much detail on their website.

Our Unstable Biosphere is a Public Health Emergency

According to Andrew Lodge, a medical director in Winnipeg, who wrote an opinion piece for the CBC: “We need to face the undeniable. Fiona cannot be viewed in isolation, but instead as one data point-albeit a dramatic and calamitous one for those affected-in an inexorable trend toward an increasingly unstable biosphere. The scientific evidence is consistent; the research is wide-ranging and generated by a broad base of disciplines. We are headed toward climate upheaval. With that comes a threat to our very survival. Climate change is a public health emergency.” He adds, “According to UN Secretary-General, ‘ the disruption to our climate and our planet is already worse than we thought, and is moving faster than we predicted.'” In general Andrew Lodge recommends the Government of Canada take more urgent action.

See: OPINION/Climate Change is a Public health emergency on CBC News

Have hurricanes increased in number?

We ask ourselves, “Are there more hurricanes than there used to be?” We decided to do some research on this to get the facts, first from the NRDC The Natural Resources Defence Council, a non profit international environmental advocacy group in the USA.

The NRDC says, “While there may seem to be a growing number of hurricanes snatching headlines each year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) does not see a general global trend toward increasing hurricane frequency over the past century. The exception is the North Atlantic, which the United Nations body notes has experienced an increase in both the frequency and intensity of its hurricanes. This is supported by the latest study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The IPCC projects that while there might be a slight decrease in hurricane frequency globally through 2100, the storms that do make landfall are more likely to be intense—category 4 or 5—with more rain and wind.”

“How does climate change affect hurricanes?

“Warmer ocean temperatures
Over the past 50-plus years, the earth’s oceans have absorbed more than 90 percent of the extra heat generated by man-made global warming, becoming warmer as a result. Since warn sea surface temperatures fuel hurricanes, a greater temperature increase means more energy, and that allows these storms to pack a bigger punch.”

“Rising air temperatures
The burning of fossil fuels and other human activities have caused an estimated 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) of global warming since preindustrial times. Since a hotter atmosphere can hold—and then dump—more water vapor, a continued rise in air temperature is expected to result in storms that are up to 15 percent wetter for every 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit of warming, meaning an even greater capacity to generate flooding.”

“Sea level rise
As the ocean warms and expands and as terrestrial glaciers and ice sheets melt, sea levels are expected to continue to rise. That increases the threat of storm surge—when powerful winds drive a wall of ocean water onto land—for coastal areas and low-lying nations. Hurricane Katrina’s 28-foot storm surge overwhelmed the levees around New Orleans in 2005, unleashing a devastating flood across much of the city.”

“Longer-lasting storms
Research suggests that global warming is weakening the atmospheric currents that keep weather systems like hurricanes moving, resulting in storms that linger longer. Sluggish storms can prove disastrous—even without catastrophic winds—since they can heap tremendous amounts of rain on a region over a longer period of time. The stalling of Hurricane Harvey over Texas in 2017 as well as the slow pace of Hurricane Florence helped make them the storms with the greatest amount of rainfall in 70 years.”

“Are hurricanes getting more intense?

“We may not be experiencing more storms, but we are riding out stronger ones, with heavier rainfall and more powerful winds (hence, all those news headlines). Recent research, for example, estimates that Hurricane Harvey dumped as much as 38 percent more rain than it would have without climate change. Another Harvey analysis indicates that the likelihood of a storm of its size evolved from happening once per century at the end of the 20th century to once every 16 years by 2017—again, due to climate change. Looking forward, the intensity of hurricanes that make landfall is expected to increase through the end of this century, with more category 4 and 5 storms.”

“Hurricane Prevention”

“As the evidence makes clear, the force, strength, and impact of today’s natural disasters is inextricably tied to society’s past choices. Our centuries-long reliance on dirty fossil fuels has driven the global warming trend, and we’re now experiencing the repercussions in the form of more severe weather events, including catastrophic hurricanes.”

“Of course, hurricanes are natural phenomena, and there is nothing we can do to halt any single storm in its path (though some people may try). We can, however, forgo the burning of carbon-emitting oil, coal, and gas for more efficient renewable energy options—such as wind and solar—and thereby reduce future warming and the ferocity of tomorrow’s storms.”

“And that’s a big point of the Paris Agreement, which was signed by nearly every nation on earth in 2015 and aims to curb the consequences of climate change by limiting global warming since preindustrial times to, ideally, 1.5 degrees Celsius. But getting there will require serious heavy lifting in the form of immediate, transformative global action, as the IPCC noted recently in its stark report drafted by some 270 climate scientists representing 67 countries. It will mean slashing global carbon emissions by nearly half by 2030, relative to 2010 levels, zeroing out emissions entirely by about 2050, and meeting as much as 87 percent of global energy needs with renewable sources. The alternative, as laid out by the IPCC, is clear: With a business-as-usual approach, the “extreme” weather of today will seem commonplace by tomorrow.” (NRDC at https://on.nrdc.org/3BYU6aA)

Pakistan and other Developing Nations Need Financial Assistance to Deal with Extreme Weather Events

Rachel Sanders for CBC What on Earth September 15, 2022

Resilience, Hope and Trees

Last word to the trees.

Just one week after the devastation and loss that Hurricane Fiona wrought on Canada’s east coast, citizens of Halifax were lining up for a tree giveaway with hope and even excitement “to regenerate what we lost in the storm,” reports CBC News piece CBC: https://bit.ly/3y6SA4M

“….residents snapped up 500 trees in about an hour at a tree giveaway Saturday morning…There were a variety of trees, including edible fruit trees, that were available to the public on a first come, first-served basis.”

Crispin Wood, with Halifax’s urban forestry department explained that “…the new event is a result of the city’s goal to increase its tree population. Halifax said it has planted more than 3,000 trees this year in support of its urban forest plan…There are many social and health benefits to planting trees in cities.”

Showing resilience and hope and contributing to replanting Halifax’s lost tree canopy in the wake of Hurricane Fiona’s destruction seem to us to show tangible evidence of immediate social and health benefits of tree planting in action.

We will all need resilience and hope to press forward with urgency on climate action, including by making a positive difference in our personal realms, for example, by planting one tree at a time, perhaps inspired by these positive, civic-minded Haligonians.

Halifax’s 400-page Urban Forest Master Plan is accessible here: https://bit.ly/3SsImnK.

What Happens if the Bees Go Extinct?

Our last blog post on Inspiration from the Arts included a focus on endangered species in Canada and the unsettling statement that “If the bee goes extinct the planet will only survive four years.”

This stayed with us, further reinforced by an excellent presentation that Catherine attended on why we should care about pollinators and what citizens and gardeners may do to protect them, sponsored recently by the Leaside Garden Society and presented by two of its member Master Gardeners.

The arresting image they asked us to imagine is what if every third bite of food we ate was no longer available, underscoring the importance and impact of pollinators, including bees, on our lives.

Here is a piece by Brian Palmer for the National Resources Defence Council (NRDC) on the topic, “A World Without Bees? Here’s What Happens if Bees Go Extinct, which echoes a similar assessment and notes it could be even more dire.

“How important are bees to farming today? If you ask 10 reporters that question, you’ll get 11 answers. Some stories say that bees pollinate more than two-thirds of our most important crops, while others say it’s closer to one-third. A spread of that size indicates a lack of authoritative scholarship on the subject. My review of the literature suggests the same.” (NRDC – https://on.nrdc.org/3qFivMW)

The Ontario government’s website quantifies the economic importance of honey bees to the province’s agriculture sector.

“In Ontario, 3,000 registered beekeepers operate 100,000 honey bee colonies. Ontario’s managed honey bees and bumble bees generate about $897 million of the roughly $6.7 billion in sales for agricultural crops grown in the province each year. This is equivalent to about 13% of the province’s total annual crop value.” (https://bit.ly/3qFZ5Yf)

Guess How Many Bees Call Alberta and Ontario Home?

The world of bees is a study unto itself we are discovering as we dig a little deeper. There is much to learn and lots on offer. Fortunately, there are many organizations and research experts championing the bee and offering excellent resources to make it easy for members of the public to learn more, including how everyday citizens may help protect this endangered species.

We learned that Ontario (400 species) and Alberta (321 species) are home to about half of the 748 bee species found in Canada, and that in Ontario, beyond the honey bee, there are five other types (families) to be found buzzing around our parks – the bumble bee, carpenter bee, leaf cutter bee, mining bee, and sweat bee. (Ontario Parks – https://bit.ly/3DuklYP)

The Alberta Bee Council offers a brief lesson in taxonomy where we learned that Alberta bees are grouped into six Families.

“All bees are insects (Class Insecta) and belong to Hymenoptera, an Order that includes bees, wasps, sawflies and ants. Within the Order, bees are grouped into Families.  Alberta’s native bees belong to one of the following families:

• Andrenidae (mining bees)
• Apidae (includes bumble bees, digger bees, chimney bees, long-horned bees)
• Colletidae (plasterer bees)
• Halictidae (sweat bees)
• Megachilidae (includes carder bees, leafcutter bees, mason bees)
• Melittidae (melittid bees).”

Alberta Bee Council – https://bit.ly/3LfQ41H

The City of Toronto even has an official bee – a green metallic sweat bee known as Agapostemon virescens. (https://bit.ly/2zEUG0e)

You may learn more (lots!) from this 72-page Resource – Bees of Toronto: A Guide to Their Remarkable World – and perhaps get inspired to champion their protection and plant a pollinator garden or window box. https://bit.ly/2HdmA5Z

The Toronto Master Gardeners website (https://bit.ly/3dgQ98P) and, The City of Toronto’s website both offer tips to create a pollinator garden.  A fun fact that Catherine learned from the Leaside Garden Society Master Gardeners is that native plants with single bloom flowers are best as food sources for pollinators; double bloomers lack pistils and nectar and are also too challenging for them to enter. Who knew?! Also, planting early spring flowers as food sources are really important for the bees as they emerge from winter slumber. Some plant ideas she learned for colour and early spring blossoms include: pussy willow, single blossom daffodils, golden rod, service berry, red bud, elderberry, Solomon seal, cone flower, tiara foam flower, Russian sage (annual).

Summer blossom tips for pollinator gardens include hydrangea, milkweed (a top tip for the monarch butterfly), echinachea, pagoda dogwood, rebeccia, columbine, beebalm bergamot, Blazing Star Liatris, Mexican sunflower (good for monarchs). Late summer blossoms include: Aster, Black-eyed Susan, and Fall ideas include: Joe Pye-Weed and Iron Weed. Catnip and native geraniums will blossom from spring to fall. Also consider garlic chives, Scarlett runner beans, Giant Hysop and Sea Holly.

Even better, for Toronto gardeners who are inspired to help protect bees (pollinators), now is the ideal time to apply for a Toronto grant for your pollinator garden from PollinateTO. The application window is September 12, 2022 to October 27, 2022. Learn more at: PollinateTO.

Celebrate National Tree Day 2022

What better way to celebrate National Tree Day – September 21^st – by planting a tree and/or taking a walk or ride or drive to be with the trees and perhaps be rewarded with an early sighting of burgeoning fall colours.

“National Tree Day is an opportunity to celebrate the many benefits that trees provide: clean air, cooler cities, wildlife habitat and connection with nature.”  (https://bit.ly/3eTy94S)

Not to forget their essential role in carbon capture in the fight against climate change and global warming!

See Landscape Ontario’s calendar of events at: Event Calendar – Landscape Ontario (horttrades.com)

Why Do Leaves Change Colour in Autumn?

Chris Clennett, Garden Manager at Wakehurst, reveals why and how leaves change colour in autumn, on the Kew Gardens website  – https://bit.ly/3DulzD6

“Autumn colour is a fascinating phenomenon, where trees and shrubs that have been green all summer burst into flamboyant shades of yellow, orange and red. But why and how does it happen?

“Trees, like most plants, use a green pigment called chlorophyll to photosynthesise – that is to produce sugars from the energy of the sun, using water and nutrients from the soil. This is what gives trees the energy they need to live and grow.

“Leaves are the centre for this process, exposing the largest area they can to sunlight to speed things up. But leaves also contain many other substances, some used in photosynthesis and some created as by-products from it. 

“It is thought the red or purple anthocyanins either protect the leaf from cold temperatures or deter pests, such as aphids. The presence of these coloured compounds might allow the tree longer to reabsorb other valuable nutrients as temperatures drop in autumn, so they are left in the leaf to help that process.

“As the tree becomes dormant, a compound called abscisic acid triggers a seal to develop at the base of the leaves, before they fall off. This reduces water reaching the leaf and traps the chemicals remaining in the leaves. They gradually break down, changing the colour of each leaf before it drops to the ground. As the process is gradual, individual leaves will be at different stages, so a tree will have leaves of many changing hues as autumn progresses.

Trigger for autumn colour

“The trigger for autumn colour to develop is a combination of day length and night temperature. As days shorten, the amount of sugar generated by photosynthesis drops off, and hormones in the plant trigger the leaf sealing and shedding process. This is accelerated by cold nights, but the lower temperatures also act on the compounds remaining in the leaf, breaking them down more quickly.” (Kew Gardens – https://bit.ly/3DulzD6)

Fall Colours and Foliage Calendars

Trip Savvy lists these “best places to see fall colours in Canada” –

Rocky Mountains, AB

Algonquin Park, ON

Agawa Canyon, ON

Via Rail: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia

Niagara Parkway, ON

Bruce Peninsula, ON

Laurentian Mountains, QUE

Prince Edward Island

Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Island, N.S.

Fundy Coastal Drive, N.B.

(Trip Savvy – https://bit.ly/3S897x7)

Destination Canada’s website offers more travel ideas to see fall colours in Canada, including biking on the seawall in Vancouver, B.C. (https://bit.ly/3Bl8wl1)

This Ontario Parks website offers a fall colour calendar to help plan your park visit for peak viewing dates: https://bit.ly/3qO8Mnr

Similarly, Curiocity’s website offers calendar information to help trip planning to see fall colours at their peak in Alberta’s National parks – https://bit.ly/3BMHpAN

Our last blog featured Inspiration from Art and Artists, quoting Claudia Rinke on “Why Artists will Change the Planet,” offering her view that, “I do think that art and creativity truly have the power to change societies and the world. It will take collective effort of artists, institutions, and individuals to envision a better future and to take steps toward that vision.”

Mother Nature’s natural beauty shimmers at this time of year. How fortunate are we in Canada to experience and enjoy the gifts and bounty of the four seasons, freely on offer to us to renew, inspire and lift our spirits and sightlines for a brighter future. We just need to remember to take a moment to stop, look, be still with and truly see and wonder at the magnificence and marvels of the world around us, and receive these gifts with gratitude and an open heart. What better time than now, amidst the vibrant changing fall leaves and colours, to celebrate trees and our gift of life? Perhaps a walk, bike ride or hike, whether on September 21^st to celebrate National Tree Day, or, on October 9-10 to reflect during Thanksgiving weekend?

Inspiration from Words of Wisdom

Then perhaps the words of Onondaga Nation Clan Mother, Audrey Shenandoah may resonate and inspire us further, to treasure and take good care. Worth repeating and contemplating we feel –

“Being born as humans to this earth is a very sacred trust. We have a sacred responsibility because of the special gift we have, which is beyond the fine gifts of the plant life, the fish, the woodlands, the birds and all the other living things on earth: We are able to take care of them.” Onondaga Nation Clan Mother, Audrey Shenandoah.