Paint it white

Dark roads, rooftops and sidewalks absorb the sun’s energy, contributing to a heat-island effect in cities. Los Angeles has painted streets white to reflect the sun, cooling them by 10 to 15°F. New York City has painted millions of square feet of roofs white to do the same, while Phoenix has painted more than 189 kilometres of streets grey. 

Cool islands

Paris, which is set to host this year’s Summer Olympic Games, has created 800 “cool islands,” which are essentially water fountains or public buildings where visitors or residents can get some respite from the heat. 

Warning sign

The Indian city of Ahmedabad has implemented a system that gives residents a seven-day warning when a heat wave is coming and triggers a coordinated emergency heat response by the local government. Heat-related deaths in the city have fallen by 20% to 30% as a result. 

Policy of shade

Seville, Spain, the land of the afternoon siesta where it often hits 40°C during the hottest part of the day in summer, has installed large awnings everywhere in what the city’s mayor calls its “policy of shade.” 

Cool(er) buildings

In Abu Dhabi, some engineers and architects have designed buildings to deflect heat that often reaches above 40°C. The Al Bahar Towers are two 29-storey buildings with a network of automated folding window screens that open and shut depending on where the sun is in the sky, lowering solar gain by more than 50% and reducing the need for air conditioning. 

Plant trees

Increasing tree cover up to 30% could prevent a third of deaths from high temperatures in cities. Sydney, Australia, is planning to plant five million trees in the area by 2030 to offer shade. Montreal wants to plant 500,000 trees by 2030, and Washington, D.C., has an ambitious goal to boost its tree cover to 40% by 2032. 

Illustrations by Alysha Dawn

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UN is calling for a rapid coal phase-out in developed countries and no new coal plants in developing economies like China and India.

Speed up the switch to EVs

U.K. and others will ban the sale of new fossil-fuelled cars by 2030. They want more countries to follow their lead.

Ramp up renewables

Solar and wind can meet world energy demand 100 times over.

Let nature thrive

Legally binding targets to restore forests, grasslands and wetlands – and making farming more sustainable – would remove more carbon from the air.

Adapt to the coming storms

Build defences, warning systems and resilient infrastructure to protect homes, livelihoods and lives from floods and extreme weather.

Fund developing countries

Developed nations need to deliver on their promise to raise at least $100 billion in climate finance per year to help developing countries go green

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“In Canada, Amazon’s plastic footprint is disproportionately large, generating an estimated 21.3 million kilograms of plastic waste in 2019 – 1.2 times more than in India, and more than Japan, Brazil, Spain and Mexico combined.”

Oceana Canada is calling on Amazon to offer plastic-free options.

It’s also petitioning the federal government to expand its proposed single-use plastic ban list to include additional problematic plastic items, resins and material types. “The six single-use items identified in the proposed ban list do not significantly contribute to the 3.3 million tonnes of plastic waste that is thrown away every year in Canada. As stated by the Minister, the ban covers less than one per cent of Canada’s current plastic use –less than 47,000 metric tonnes.”

Considering Canada’s plastic use is expected to increase by 30% by 2030 and Amazon continues to experience record-breaking sales, environmental advocates want action to be taken immediately.

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Compiled by Sarah Landstreet and Maggie Arai of Georgette Packaging

 Illustration by Kyle Metcalf

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