Roundup of climate and environmental news to Feb . 22 , 2026

theprovince.com · Feb 21, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Hydro's call for power kicks off environmental review | New calf arrives for B.C.'s endangered southern resident killer whalesHere's all the latest local and international news concerning climate change for the week of Feb. 16 to Feb. 22, 2026Published Feb 21, 2026 • 7 minute readYou can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.File photo of solar panels in China. The only solar-power facility included in B.C. Hydro’s 2024 call for power has taken a step toward regulatory approval. Photo by STR /AFP via Getty ImagesHere’s the latest news concerning climate change and biodiversity loss in B.C. and around the world, from the steps leaders are taking to address the problems, to all the up-to-date science.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events.Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account.The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events.Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account.The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorCheck back every Saturday for more climate and environmental news or sign up for our Sunrise newsletter HERE.In climate news this week:• Solar project in B.C. Hydro’s call for power kicks off environmental review • B.C. social housing providers can apply for funding to reduce greenhouse gas emissions • New calf arrives for B.C.’s endangered southern resident killer whale population, spotted in Juan de Fuca StraitHuman activities like burning fossil fuels and farming livestock are the main drivers of climate change, according to the UN’s intergovernmental panel on climate change. This causes heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in Earth’s atmosphere, increasing the planet’s surface temperature.The panel, which is made up of scientists from around the world, including researchers from B.C., has warned for decades that wildfires and severe weather, such as the province’s deadly heat dome and catastrophic flooding in 2021, would become more frequent and intense because of the climate emergency. It has issued a code red for humanity and warns the window to limit warming to 1.5 C above pre-industrial times is closing.According to NASA climate scientists, human activities have raised the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide content by 50 per cent in less than 200 years, and “there is unequivocal evidence that Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate.”As of Feb. 5, 2026, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 428.62 parts per million, up from 427.49 ppm last month and 426.46 in December, according to the latest available data from the NOAA measured at the Mauna Loa Observatory, a global atmosphere monitoring lab in Hawaii. The NOAA notes there has been a steady rise in CO2 from under 320 ppm in 1960. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere warms the planet, causing climate change. Human activities have raised the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide content by 50% in less than 200 years, according to NASA.Quick facts:• The global average temperature in 2023 reached 1.48 C higher than the pre-industrial average, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. In 2024, it breached the 1.5 C threshold at 1.55 C. • 2025 was the third warmest on record after 2024 and 2023, capping the 11th consecutive warmest years. • Human activities have raised atmospheric concentrations of CO2 by nearly 49 per cent above pre-industrial levels starting in 1850. • The world is not on track to meet the Paris Agreement target to keep global temperature from exceeding 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels, the upper limit to avoid the worst fallout from climate change including sea level rise, and more intense drought, heat waves and wildfires. • UNEP’s 2025 Emissions Gap Report, released in early December, shows that even if countries meet emissions targets, global temperatures could still rise by 2.3 C to 2.5 C this century. • In June 2025, global concentrations of carbon dioxide exceeded 430 parts per million, a record high. • There is global scientific consensus that the climate is warming and that humans are the cause.Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Canucks Report will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again(Sources: United Nations IPCC, World Meteorological Organization, UNEP’s 2025 emissions gap report, NASA, Copernicus Climate Change Service, climatedata.ca) Source: NASALatest NewsSolar project in B.C. Hydro’s call for power kicks off environmental reviewThe only solar-power facility included in B.C. Hydro’s 2024 call for power has taken a step toward regulatory approval, but it won’t be under the fast-tracked regulatory process being established by the provincial government.Logan B.C. Solar Project LP was one of 10 independent power proposals to be awarded power purchase contracts in December 2024, as part of the call for power. The deals were all approved as being in the public interest by the B.C. Utilities Commission last August.However, unlike the nine wind-power projects in the 2024 call, Logan B.C. Solar’s m.ah a temEEwuh proposal to be built on a 7.7 square kilometre site near Logan Lake will have to go through a full provincial environmental assessment.Under Bill 14, certain wind-power projects were exempted from full environmental review because the technology has more history with the environmental assessment process.This week, the partners in Logan B.C. Solar filed an initial project description with the Environmental Assessment Office for its proposed 104-megawatt solar-power facility. The office said it will look to streamline its review as a “key priority project,” according to a description on the agency’s website.—Derrick Penner File photo of a large ground mounted residential solar panel system. Photo by Lex20 /Getty Images/iStockphotoB.C. social housing providers can apply for funding to reduce greenhouse gas emissionsThe B.C. government is renewing funding to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in social, non-profit housing.Eligible social housing providers, including non-profit organizations, co-operatives, local governments, provincial housing authorities and Indigenous housing providers, can now receive as much as $800,000 for equipment upgrades, including electrical upgrades.The upgrades can also include heat pump retrofits, including fuel-switching from gas or other fossil fuels and building electrical system upgrades.Projects may take as long as 18 months to complete, with B.C. Hydro administering the program.—Tiffany Crawford New orca calf L129 is photographed with members of L Pod near Race Rocks. Center for Whale Research Photo by Center for Whale Research /Victoria Times ColonistNew calf arrives for B.C.’s e