Guatemala

Guatemala was probably my favourite country in Central America. There’s lots of culture, the climate is pleasant, the food is good and there’s some really cool places to see.

I landed in Guatemala City in October, 2019, and from there I took the shuttle to Antigua where I started my trip. I spent a few days there so I got to explore a bit. I did a walking tour when I was there and learned some of the history of the town.

When I was in Antigua I did the popular 2 day hike up Volcan Acatenango. The first day is about 5 hours to get to the base camp where the tents/beds are already set up. It was raining by the time we got there, so we hid out in our rooms for a while until the rain stopped. It eventually cleared and we got a really nice view of the valley and Volcan Fuego, an active volcano that would explode every couple minutes! When it got dark enough you could see the lava clearly in the night. The next day we got up really early (around 4am) and hiked the last 30 minutes to the top in time to see the sunrise. We were very fortunate to have a clear morning so we had a perfect view all around. We then went back to base camp where we had breakfast, and then started our descent down.

Base camp:

Volcan Fuego:

View from the top!

Acatenango was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. From Antigua my next destination was Lake Atitlan. Lake Atitlan is a giant lake with plenty of pueblos (towns) scattered along its shores. I stayed in San Pedro and San Marcos when I was there. San Pedro is a backpacker hotspot with plenty going on- walking down the main street you will be handed a flyer for a show or party going on that night. When I was there I did the (for lack of a better term) ‘Indian nose’ hike, where we got up really early and hiked up one of the small mountains to see the sunrise. I also visited nearby San Juan, which has a big arts community. There’s loads of places selling paintings, textiles and pottery there, and they have some good cafes too. I also went kayaking on the lake once. San Marcos is a different vibe; it’s quieter, and has become a popular spot for hippie expats and yogis around the world. There’s plenty of yoga studios, meditation centres and massage parlours. The hostel I stayed at was right on the lake with a dock so you could go swimming. They also had a yoga studio with glass windows and a view of the lake.

San Pedro:

San Marcos:

Local ‘tuk-tuk’s’ (taxis), San Pedro:

Typical Guatemalan meal:

This is an example of a meal I really like. Especially the tortillas, they are always made fresh in Guatemala. You can buy them right on the street. Unfortunately I didn’t find the food anywhere else as good as Guatemala. It started to be less beans and rice and more meat and fried food. They don’t exactly eat very healthy down there. Avocados were actually pretty uncommon with meals in Central/South America (but you could buy them in stores or on the street). I also didn’t see many tortillas after Guatemala either.

View of San Pedro from the ‘Indian nose’ hike:

After Lake Atitlan my next destination was Semuc Champey. Semuc Champey was beautiful, there’s not really any other way to describe it. It is a protected area with a river and streams going through it and different pools and waterfalls. When I was there I did a tour that involved going into the caves they had in the park. The tour guide gave us all candles and lit them for our light source. In the caves we walked through water, sometimes swimming up to our necks, and made our way up through the caves and over some little waterfalls with the help of ropes and ladders. Then we got to swim and enjoy a couple spots in the park. After that we went tubing down the river back to our hostel. We all linked up for more stability as the rapids were actually pretty big!

View from my hostel (this is where I ate breakfast!)

After Semuc Champey my next destination was Flores. Flores is in the northern region of Guatemala. Most people go to Flores to visit Tikal, probably the most famous Mayan archeological site there is. When I was there I also went to another smaller Mayan site called Yaxha, in addition to Tikal; both were impressive. Our guides were knowledgable and told us a lot about the history of the area. What I found most interesting was only about 5-10% of the pyramids were dug out. They do this to preserve the other pyramids and also because it would just be a lot of work (and very expensive) to dig them all out. The Mayans actually drove themselves to extinction. They cut down all the trees in the area and eventually there was a drought and they all died. There’s probably something we could learn from them…

We got to enjoy the sunset in Tikal and Yaxha from one of the temples.

Fun facts: The temples at Tikal actually appeared in Star Wars Episode 4. Also, the howler monkeys at Yaxha were actually recorded and used for the sound of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. If you hear them in real life, you’ll know why.

After Flores I made my way to Livingston on the Caribbean coast. I learned that the Caribbean has a distinct culture, no matter what country you’re in. All of a sudden it’s more people speaking English (with a ‘Jamaican’ accent), you hear Bob Marley music everywhere, there’s more black people and the seafood is very good. It didn’t really feel like I was in Guatemala anymore! When I was there I did some kayaking, hiked to some waterfalls and snorkeling. The town is only accessible by boat from the Rio Dulce. It takes about an hour and a half- an incredible boat ride on the river.

Local tapado dish (seafood soup)- fish, crab, shrimp, plantain and a curry coconut broth.

That’s all for Guatemala. After that I went to Honduras! Stay tuned…

The Case for a Price on Carbon

Background 

As of April 1, 2019 all provinces in Canada now have a carbon tax (not an April fools joke). The changes only come to Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan who don’t have a carbon tax program already. All the other provinces already have a provincial carbon tax that meets federal government standards, so there will be no changes. The tax starts at $20 per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions and is set to rise to $50 per tonne by 2022.

The carbon tax is one of the only policies the federal government has in place to address climate change, and is arguably the most important too. It is part of their plan to meet our targets of reducing emissions by 30% by 2030 from 2005 levels as outlined in the Paris Agreement. The government predicts the carbon tax will reduce emissions by 50-60 million tonnes by 2022- the equivalent of taking 12 million cars off the road or closing 14 coal plants.

Though this important policy is at risk of being lost. If the Conservatives win the federal election this fall, they have vowed to scrap the federal carbon tax program, destroying any last chance of us meeting our Paris climate targets. Here’s why we can’t let that happen:

1) The carbon tax is an effective way of reducing carbon emissions

Critics might say carbon taxes don’t work, but in fact all the evidence suggests they do. When BC implemented the country’s first provincial carbon tax back in 2008, they saw their emissions fall by 4.7% by 2015. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommended countries enact a high carbon tax to help keep global temperature rise below 1.5°C.

The idea behind the carbon tax is simple. If the price of a product goes up it sends a message to consumers to buy the product less. Of course these changes won’t happen overnight; if the price of gas goes up, people are still going to drive their cars. However if the price stays high, they may be more likely to purchase a hybrid or electric vehicle for their next car. The higher the tax is, the more effective it will be.

2) The fossil fuel industry doesn’t pay for their externalities

Externalities are by definition side effects of an industrial activity that aren’t reflected in the cost of the service. In other words carbon isn’t free. For example, climate change is costing the Canadian economy $1 billion annually from things like forest fires and floods, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. This number will certainly get a lot higher in the near future. Even worse, air pollution cost the Canadian economy $36 billion due to premature death and illness according to a report from the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

The worse part about all this is the fossil fuel industry isn’t paying these costs- we are as taxpayers. The fossil fuel industry might be the only industry in the world that is allowed to pollute for free. Think about it- if another industry were to dump toxic effluent into a waterway they would face a fine, the same way we would if we were to litter on the street. So why should fossil fuel companies be allowed to dump their pollution into the atmosphere free of charge? A carbon tax helps more accurately reflect the true cost of the product by factoring in the price of some its externalities.

3) The carbon tax is revenue-neutral

Possibly the biggest criticism against the carbon tax is that it is exactly that- a tax, a money grab designed not to reduce emissions but to raise money for the government and steal from the people. Anyone who has done the slightest bit of research though can tell you that Canada’s carbon tax is revenue-neutral.

What I mean when I say revenue-neutral is the government has vowed to return every dollar they make from the program back to the people in the form of tax returns or rebates. And if your not a big carbon consumer, it is likely you will actually make money from this program. The government says 70% of Canadians will make more money from climate rebate payments than they’ll pay each year through the tax. The other 30%, mostly wealthier people who have bigger homes and drive bigger cars, will pay more in taxes then they will make back from rebates. So what to do if you’re in the 30%? Be the 70%- reduce your carbon footprint!

4) The carbon tax encourages investment in renewable energy, public transportation and energy efficiency 

If the tax on carbon-intensive industries is too high it sends a message to investors to invest in alternative options that are far less environmentally harmful. This can help create new green jobs for the people, despite critics saying the tax will destroy jobs. After BC implemented its carbon tax in 2008 they saw their GDP rise by over 17% by 2015, higher than the Canadian average. They also increased their clean economy jobs by 12.5% from 2010 to 2014.

Conclusion

While the carbon tax is good it won’t be nearly enough for us to reach our Paris climate targets alone. The federal government is also closing coal-fired power plants in Canada and plans to enact tougher building regulations to promote energy efficiency, put in more charging stations for electric cars and expand clean energy as outlined in the national climate plan. Though all these things included we would still fall short of our Paris climate targets. If we were serious about meeting these targets we would have to freeze expansion of the oil industry in Canada, which is the biggest contributor to emissions in the country (the oil and gas sector accounted for 26% of emissions in Canada in 2015, more than any other sector).

It would be a total shame if the Conservatives won the election this fall and scrapped what is possibly our best policy to address climate change.

 

5 Good Reasons Why You Should be Opposed to the Trans Mountain Pipeline

(Protest outside Kinder Morgan facility in Burnaby, BC. Photo by Calvin Beauchesne).

Project Overview

The Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMEP) is a $7.4 billion project that would twin (or double) an existing pipeline (the Trans Mountain pipeline) from Edmonton area to Burnaby, BC. From there, the diluted bitumen (oil-soaked sand from the oil sands) would be loaded onto tankers and shipped for export to Asia. The expansion would increase the pipeline’s capacity from 300,000 barrels of oil a day to 890,000.

(Map of proposed pipeline expansion)

1- The pipeline undermines Canada’s efforts on tackling climate change

(Oil sands facility in northern Alberta)

Canada has set a target of reducing its carbon emissions by 30% from 2005 levels by 2030 as outlined in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. As it is, we are not on track to meeting these targets with current policies. The carbon tax, the phasing out of coal-fired power plants and the low carbon fuel standard will not reduce our emissions enough to meet the targets we agreed upon in the Paris Agreement. So what’s holding us back?

The biggest culprit is the oil and gas sector, which represents Canada’s largest share of emissions. Emissions from the oil and gas sector have been steadily rising since 1990, while other sectors (with the exception of the transportation sector) have managed to reduce their emissions or keep them relatively stable.

The Trans Mountain pipeline will allow for further expansion of the Alberta tar sands, which are currently the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in the country. If completed, the pipeline would make Canada’s chances of hitting our emissions reduction targets under the Paris Agreement from ‘unlikely’ to ‘impossible’. If the pipeline is not built, this will inhibit further expansion of the industry, thus capping its emissions and giving us a fighting chance of meeting our targets.

It’s important we measure the carbon footprint of the pipeline internationally as well, not just domestically. Being an export pipeline, the pipeline will inevitably raise emissions in other countries using our oil that otherwise would not have had the product available to them.

While the pipeline would stimulate economic growth in the country, climate change is already costing Canada around $1 billion annually- from forest fires, to floods and other extreme weather events. This should be taken into account when measuring the economic benefits of the project.

2- The pipeline undermines Canada’s efforts for reconciliation with First Nations

(President and Vice-President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs Stewart Philip and Bob Chamberlain attend protest outside Kinder Morgan facility)

Justin Trudeau has tried to makes steps towards healing Canada’s relationship with Indigenous peoples since his government took power. The pipeline however will further escalate tensions between the Crown and First Nations.

Canada is a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Outlined in this document is the need for “free, prior and informed consent” for any major development project by the Crown on Native lands. The Trans Mountain pipeline does not have consent from several First Nations along the route.

This issue is made more significant due to the fact that the pipeline route and almost all of British Columbia is unceded Indigenous territory- meaning it was never given over to the Crown in the form a treaty. Thus, the land was technically stolen from the Natives. Given this fact they should rightfully have a say over what happens on their lands.

Canada has had violent confrontations between Indigenous peoples and RCMP in the past, as we saw at Oka and Elsipogtog. The pipeline could trigger another one of these events, something that would not look good for a Prime Minister who is serious about ‘reconciliation’.

3- The pipeline could mean the extinction of southern resident killer whales

(Killer whales in the Salish Sea)

Southern resident killer whales (SRKW) are a specific community of killer whales in the Salish Sea that feed mostly on fish such as salmon. SRKW are a critically endangered species, with only 75 mammals remaining in the wild. Amongst their threats include a decline in salmon stocks, collisions with boats and noise pollution from shipping traffic, which makes it hard for these whales to communicate and hunt for prey effectively.

The Trans Mountain pipeline could result in a 700% increase in oil tanker traffic in the Salish Sea, from 5 tankers per month to 34. This increase in tanker traffic could have devastating consequences for SRKW. A report published by environmental group Raincoast Conservation found that the increase in noise pollution from increased tanker traffic from the pipeline expansion would substantially raise the likelihood of extinction for SRKW.

There is also the increased chance of an oil spill in the Salish Sea from such a large increase in tanker traffic, which would also have devastating consequences for SRKW. Especially when you take into account the type of oil the tankers are carrying (diluted bitumen) is much harder to clean up than conventional oil, due to the fact that it sinks.

The decline or extinction of SRKW will affect people as well. Killer whales are an iconic species in British Columbia. If we lose them, we lose our culture and identity at the same time. Lots of whale watching companies on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the Lower Mainland are dependant on these mammals for their businesses to survive as well. If we lose SRKW, it would be a big hit to the tourism industry in BC.

4- The pipeline is a threat to BC’s wild salmon populations

(Sockeye salmon in Fraser River, BC)

The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion would cross over 1000 streams and rivers in BC and Alberta, most notably the Fraser River and its watershed, one of the largest salmon tributaries in the world.

A spill could have devastating consequences for wild salmon, once again magnified by the fact that this is diluted bitumen we are talking about here, which is harder to clean up than conventional oil.

If you are doubtful whether a spill would happen one needs to just look to the track record of the existing Trans Mountain pipeline; the pipeline has had 82 reported spills since 1961, according to the company’s own website. It’s not if a spill will happen, but when.

Another report published by Raincoast Conservation highlights the risks of an oil spill to wild salmon in the Fraser River watershed. The report showed that salmon, especially juvenile salmon species, are extremely vulnerable to oil spills, and that the company did not take into account the possibility of sunken/submerged oil in their oil spill response plans. All this when 1/3 of salmon species in the Fraser River are already considered at risk of extinction.

Like SRKW, wild salmon are also an important cultural species to people in BC, especially First Nations. If salmon stocks plunge, both the recreational and commercial fishery industries in the province will take a hit accordingly.

5- The pipeline undermines Canada’s transition to a renewable energy future

(Wind farm in Alberta)

Proponents of the pipeline often cite jobs and economic growth for their support of the project. What if I told you we could create jobs, grow the economy and reduce our carbon emissions WITHOUT building the pipeline?

Think about it. The project is estimated to cost $7.4 billion (or more when you factor in things like the federal government’s Oceans Protection Plan, a $1.5 billion dollar program designed specifically to improve oil spill response plans and buy public support for the pipeline). That money could go a long way if we invested it in renewable energy instead (that’s a lot of solar panels and wind turbines!).

A report published by Blue Green Canada, an alliance between Canadian labour unions, environmental and civil society organizations, showed that investing $1 million in renewable energy creates 15 jobs, compared to 2 in the oil and gas industry for the same amount of investment. Renewable energy could be a great replacement for those who are losing their jobs in the struggling oil patch in Alberta.

Canada could choose to be a leader in renewable energy, or we could remain attached to a dying 20th century industry and build another pipeline. While countries like Norway, Germany and France lead the way on renewable energy investment and technology, Canada is being left behind in the dust.

Bob Dylan had it right in the 1960’s:

“The answer my friends, is blowin’ in the wind. The answer is blowin’ in the wind.” – Bob Dylan

 

Say hello to the newest shareholders in the Trans Mountain pipeline- Us.

The federal government recently announced they would be buying the Trans Mountain pipeline from Kinder Morgan and would be paying for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion as well. The federal government plans on selling the project to a private company in August if they can find one by then.

So how much will all this cost? The existing pipeline was bought for $4.5 billion. The cost to build the new pipeline is estimated at $7.4 billion (assuming there is no delays that would increase the final cost). Other costs associated with the new pipeline include $1.5 billion for the Oceans Protection Plan (which was developed for the sole reason of gaining social license for the pipeline). So overall we are looking at $13.4 billion + for it all.

That’s a lot of money, especially from a Prime Minister who campaigned on phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and investing in clean technologies. I understand the money is an investment (the federal government will make more money back in the future through royalties), but there still a lot of things that are urgent that could use that money right now. Clean drinking water on First Nations reserves, public transportation and universities all come to mind.

So what does this all mean? It means if you are a Canadian citizen who pays taxes, you are now a shareholder in Trans Mountain. Whether you like it or not, you own a part of this project. And Justin Trudeau is the head oil company executive.

In the end this is the opposite of what we should be doing. It’s one thing for a private company to be spending that money on this project, but by using public money to move this project forward we are actively supporting the expansion of the tar sands and the oil industry in Canada- undermining national efforts to transition to renewable energy. If we want to reach the targets we made to reduce emissions by 30% by 2030 from 2005 levels as outlined in the Paris Agreement (which we will not make at current trends), that money needs to be invested in renewable energy.

What this also means is that the government is fully accountable to the company’s actions now. Any spills on the existing pipeline (which spilled just days before the government bought it) are on them. It also changes the discourse on the whole thing. If protests get so big and out of hand, it is no longer activists vs. Kinder Morgan, it is Canadians vs. their own government. This will not look good on them. It also means if the pipeline doesn’t get finished after construction starts (say from an NDP federal government that gets elected in 2019 that stops it), any money spent on construction until then is our money lost, not the lost profits of a foreign company.

So what, if anything, could stop the pipeline now?

There are still a number of court cases going in the Supreme Court between the federal government and the City of Burnaby, the City of Vancouver, environmental groups and First Nations that have not been settled yet. These decisions are expected within the next month. The BC Provincial Government is also still pursuing a court case in the Supreme Court on whether it has provincial jurisdiction to regulate environmental products going in and out of the province (if the Court says yes, this could stop the pipeline). Trans Mountain also still has to obtain hundreds of permits from cities and the BC Provincial Government before construction can begin in many places.

Protests on the ground will certainly continue as well. If anything, people are just more pissed off because it is their tax dollars going to this project now, instead of a Texas oil company. “People feel betrayed…”, says activist Tzeporah Berman.

Last Saturday, myself and other activists in Burnaby marched up to the Trans Mountain tank farm to rebrand the pipeline’s image, calling it the Justin Trudeau Memorial Pipeline. Activists put up posters on the worksite fence entrance saying ‘Pipeline Sold! For questions and concerns contact: Justin Trudeau.’ The posters include an email and phone number for his office, and activists were told by organizers to call or email the office to let them know they think of this most recent purchase.

Activists marching to the Trans Mountain tank farm in Burnaby.

Posters put up at the tank farm. Photo by Calvin Beauchesne

Direct action to disrupt construction of the pipeline will continue in the following weeks. Though this I admit is starting to look more difficult, as the now Crown Corporation is doing what it can to make this less effective. For example, a new amendment granted by the Courts asserts RCMP do not need to give people a 10 minute wait period after they read the injunction letter before they arrest them for people standing within the 5 meter buffer zone of the work site. This means people can no longer wait 10 minutes after the reading and then leave before they get arrested anymore. Nevertheless, actions will continue.

Whatever happens, this is Trudeau’s new legacy. All his words on addressing climate change and reconciliation with First Nations we now know was all just talk. The campaign to stop the Trudeau Memorial Pipeline begins.

New Zealand’s latest announcement puts Canada to shame

New Zealand has recently announced it would not be granting any new offshore oil exploration permits. The ban doesn’t include existing permits, some of which may be active for decades still. The Prime Minister says this is part of the plan towards New Zealand running off 100% renewable energy by 2035 and being fully carbon-neutral by 2050.

On the other side of the world, the situation is quite different. The latest report submitted by Canada to the United Nations shows we are not on track to meeting our Paris Agreement climate targets of reducing emissions by 30% by 2030 from 2005 levels. Trudeau has consistently reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and addressing climate change, but the numbers tell a different story.

Trudeau has pushed forward with some good policies including the price on carbon, the Clean Fuels Standard and phasing out coal-fired power plants, but has neglected to tackle the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Canada- the oil and gas sector. The oil and gas sector was responsible for 26% of total national emissions in 2015, followed closely by the transportation sector.

But instead of banning new permits for oil exploration like New Zealand, the Prime Minister has big plans to expand the most carbon-intensive industry in the country. His approval of the Trans Mountain expansion and Line 3 pipelines would allow further expansion of the industry despite the fact that Canada is not on track to meeting our Paris climate targets. Trans Mountain would allow for a further 590,000 barrels of oil shipped a day, while Line 3 would allow for 380,000 more barrels a day.

These kinds of actions are ruining Canada’s environmental reputation on an international scale. Trudeau recently visited France to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron where they agreed to ‘double down’ on the Paris Agreement and the fight against climate change resulting in the France-Canada partnership on climate and environment. Before New Zealand’s announcement, France announced a ban on any new oil and gas exploration permits beyond 2040, and that existing licenses would not be renewed beyond then either.

Trudeau on the other hand was pressed by youth from Sciences Po Zero Fossiles for his support of the Kinder Morgan pipeline. On his visit to London, Trudeau was met outside by campaigners from Greenpeace UK who had set up a massive fake pipeline outside the Canadian High Commission labeled ‘Crudeau Oil’.

Sciences Po Zero Fossiles in Paris.

Outside the Canadian High Commission in London.

While France and New Zealand’s are phasing out fossil fuels, Canada is doing the exact opposite. When I voted for Justin Trudeau I had hopes that he would reform Canada’s environmental reputation for the better after the damage from Harper. Like many other people, I am increasingly seeing this not happening.