The government of Canada (French: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the Crown-in-Council; the legislature, as the Crown-in-Parliament; and the courts, as the Crown-on-the-Bench. Three institutions—the Privy Council (conventionally, the Cabinet); the Parliament of Canada; and the judiciary, respectively—exercise the powers of the Crown.The term Government of Canada (French: Gouvernement du Canada) can refer to either the collective set of all three institutions, or more specifically to the executive—ministers of the Crown (the Cabinet) and the federal civil service (whom the Cabinet direct)—which corporately brands itself as the Government of Canada, or more formally, Her Majesty's Government (French: Gouvernement de Sa Majesté).In both senses, the current construct was established at Confederation through the Constitution Act, 1867—as a federal constitutional monarchy, wherein the Canadian Crown acts as the core, or "the most basic building block", of its Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. The Crown is thus the foundation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of Canadian government. The monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, is personally represented by a governor general (currently Mary Simon) and is head of state. A prime minister (currently Justin Trudeau) is the head of government who is invited by the Crown to form a government after securing the confidence of the House of Commons, which is typically determined through the election of enough members of a single political party in a federal election to provide a majority of seats in Parliament, forming a governing party. Further elements of governance are outlined in the rest of the Canadian Constitution, which includes written statutes in addition to court rulings, and unwritten conventions developed over centuries.Constitutionally, the Queen's Privy Council for Canada is the body that advises the sovereign or their representative on the exercise of executive power. This task is nearly exclusively carried out by a committee within the Queen's Privy Council known as the Cabinet who collectively set the government's policies and priorities for the country. It is composed of ministers of the Crown and is chaired by the prime minister. The sovereign appoints the members of Cabinet on the advice of the prime minister who, by convention, are selected from the House of Commons or, less often, the Senate. During its term, the government must retain the confidence of the House of Commons, and certain important motions, such as the passing of the government's budget, are considered as confidence motions. Laws are formed by the passage of bills through Parliament, which are either sponsored by the government or individual members of Parliament. Once a bill has been approved by both the House of Commons and the Senate, royal assent is required to make the bill become law. The laws are then the responsibility of the government to oversee and enforce...
The climate intervention approach marine cloud brightening (MCB) would aim to reduce climate warming by injecting sea salt aerosol (iSSA) into the lower troposphere to increase cloud albedo, reflect more sunlight, and cool the surface. Due to the short atmospheric lifetime of tropospheric aerosol, MCB iSSA emissions and their resulting radiative forcing are regional by nature. This presents a significant challenge and opportunity, as there are many potential MCB implementation patterns that could produce widely varying climate responses. Previous modeling studies suggest that MCB implementation in the subtropical oceans can cause global cooling but often result in remote regional temperature and precipitation responses that may be considered undesirable. Here, we use three Earth system models (ESMs) to estimate the impact of MCB implementation in 14 different ocean regions, assessing MCB forcing and cooling efficiency in each region and examining the patterns of temperature response from each case. We find that iSSA emissions in the midlatitude oceans produce stronger cloud forcing, greater cooling efficiency, and more spatially uniform cooling. With this information, we evaluate a novel MCB emission strategy that emits iSSA in the midlatitude oceans. The ESMs show this iSSA emission pattern produces temperature and precipitation responses across all three ESMs that are quite similar in pattern (but of opposite sign) to the greenhouse gas (GHG) response. Thus, compared to previously tested iSSA injection patterns, midlatitude MCB implementations may be more suitable when intending to maintain climates close to present-day conditions.
Limited long-term snowfall observations make it difficult to document how snowfall is changing across Canada. Proxy snowfall measures derived from more plentiful temperature and precipitation may therefore be helpful. We consider simple partitioning of daily precipitation into rainfall and snowfall based on whether temperature is above or below either 0 degrees C or a station specific threshold. Using daily mean temperature and the fixed 0 degrees C threshold resulted in more accurate estimates of annual and seasonal snow-day number and water equivalent snowfall amount than using daily maximum or daily minimum temperature. Using station-specific thresholds further improved estimation accuracy. Trends estimated from these proxy snowfall indices well match those estimated from observed snowfall data for periods and locations when both are available. The median annual proxy snowfall amount in Canada derived from homogenized daily precipitation and temperature data decreased 2.5% per decade over 1949-2023 south of 60 degrees N and increased 0.5% per decade north of 60 degrees N. Seasonally, annual proxy snowfall amount has changed most rapidly in winter, declining 2.6% per decade in southern Canada and increasing 3.6% per decade in northern Canada. This simple approach improves prospects for the continuation of long-term snowfall monitoring in Canada by exploiting long-term daily precipitation and temperature data. [Traduit par la r & eacute;daction] Le nombre limit & eacute; d'observations & agrave; long terme sur les chutes de neige rend difficile la documentation des changements qui s'op & egrave;rent & agrave; cet & eacute;gard & agrave; travers le Canada. Des mesures indirectes des chutes de neige d & eacute;riv & eacute;es de donn & eacute;es plus abondantes sur la temp & eacute;rature et les pr & eacute;cipitations peuvent donc s'av & eacute;rer utiles. Nous envisageons une simple r & eacute;partition des pr & eacute;cipitations quotidiennes en pluie et en neige, selon que la temp & eacute;rature est sup & eacute;rieure ou inf & eacute;rieure & agrave; 0 degrees C ou & agrave; un seuil propre & agrave; chaque station. L'utilisation de la temp & eacute;rature moyenne quotidienne et du seuil fixe de 0 degrees C a permis d'obtenir des estimations plus pr & eacute;cises du nombre annuel et saisonnier de jours de neige et de la quantit & eacute; de neige & eacute;quivalente en eau que l'utilisation de la temp & eacute;rature maximale ou minimale quotidienne. L'utilisation de seuils propres & agrave; chaque station a encore am & eacute;lior & eacute; la pr & eacute;cision des estimations. Les tendances estim & eacute;es & agrave; partir de ces indices de neige proxy correspondent bien & agrave; celles estim & eacute;es & agrave; partir des donn & eacute;es d'observation des chutes de neige pour les p & eacute;riodes et les lieux o & ugrave; les deux sont disponibles. La quantit & eacute; annuelle m & eacute;diane de neige estim & eacute;e au Canada, calcul & eacute;e & agrave; partir de donn & eacute;es homog & eacute;n & eacute;is & eacute;es sur les pr & eacute;cipitations et les temp & eacute;ratures quotidiennes, a diminu & eacute; de 2,5 % par d & eacute;cennie entre 1949 et 2023 au sud de 60 degrees N et a augment & eacute; de 0,5 % par d & eacute;cennie au nord de 60 degrees N. Sur le plan saisonnier, la quantit & eacute; annuelle estim & eacute;e de neige a chang & eacute; le plus rapidement en hiver, diminuant de 2,6 % par d & eacute;cennie dans le sud du Canada et augmentant de 3,6 % par d & eacute;cennie dans le nord du Canada. Cette approche simple am & eacute;liore les perspectives de poursuite de la surveillance & agrave; long terme des chutes de neige au Canada en exploitant les donn & eacute;es quotidiennes & agrave; long terme sur les pr & eacute;cipitations et les temp & eacute;ratures.
Historically, research and monitoring of bird populations has been conducted with in-person point counts; however, passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) recordings transcribed by experts (“PAM point counts”) are rapidly replacing in-person surveys as an approach for counting birds. We reviewed the literature and used case-matched datasets from North America’s boreal forest to show that despite similarities in data structure, in-person and PAM point counts have fundamental differences in the detection process that lead to differences in detectability estimates from distance and removal sampling models. Observer effects on cue rate were more pronounced in PAM than in-person point counts. Cue rate estimates from PAM were significantly higher than from point counts due to earlier time of first detection in PAM point counts, the availability of data with higher-resolution time intervals in removal models, and the exclusion of visual detections. In contrast, exclusion of visual detections from point-count data estimates resulted in lower estimates of perceptibility. Cumulative lower values of detectability estimates from in-person point counts resulted in 15% higher density estimates on average when applied as statistical offsets. We suggest some of the differences in detectability estimates between survey methods are due to human error and/or failure of statistical assumptions and that availability estimates for species that are at least 90% aurally-detected should be preferentially derived from PAM data to reduce bias in density estimates for conservation applications and facilitate continued integration of historic and contemporary point-count datasets. Future research should focus on alternatives to removal modelling and understanding the detection process of automated classifiers to continue to improve detectability estimates and maximize the ability to integrate datasets across data types.
This review systematically synthesizes technological synergies within a Community Energy System (CES), emphasizing cold-climate contexts where heating-dominant demand profiles and strong seasonality create distinct operational challenges. Drawing on 115 studies (2010–2024), the paper explores how integrated thermal, electrical, and digital infrastructures support net-zero and climate-resilient communities in regions with substantial heating requirements. Thermal–electrical coupling emerges as a foundational mechanism in cold climates, where heating loads dominate annual energy demand and drive winter peak constraints. Power-to-Heat (P2H) systems, cold-climate heat pumps, and hybrid configurations combining Thermal Energy Storage (TES) with Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) enable multi-timescale flexibility, allowing renewable energy to be shifted from hours to seasons. District Energy Systems (DES) act as a thermal backbone, enabling this integration across extended heating seasons and transforming thermal demand into a grid-balancing resource. Digital technologies further enhance system coordination under variable climatic conditions. Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) support real-time optimization, demand response, and cross-vector control within Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) and Virtual Power Plants (VPPs). At the system level, decentralized architectures—including microgrids, Non-Wire Alternatives (NWAs), and peer-to-peer (P2P) trading—strengthen resilience by maintaining thermal and electrical continuity during grid disruptions. Building on these findings, the review synthesizes cross-cutting technological synergies and proposes deployment pathways tailored to cold-climate CES, supported by comparative case studies. Despite demonstrated benefits, widespread adoption remains constrained by high upfront costs, interoperability challenges, and fragmented regulatory frameworks. The review concludes with policy, governance, and research recommendations to enable scalable, equitable, and climate-responsive CES deployment in heating-dominated regions.
Introduction Giraffe populations across Africa face increasing pressures from habitat loss, poaching, and climate-driven resource scarcity, often intensifying interactions with nearby communities. In eastern Kenya, these pressures have contributed to emerging human-giraffe conflict (HGC), including crop losses, competition for water, and occasional livestock injuries. Although this reticulated giraffes play an important ecosystem role in the African savanna and the socio-economic well-being of African communities, their interactions with people, and how communities perceive and navigate HGC especially in non-tourism regions remains understudied.Methods To address this gap, we conducted 400 structured interviews with households around Bour-Algy Giraffe Sanctuary to assess local interactions with giraffes, attitudes, perceived risks, conflict drivers and preferred strategies for coexistence.Results On average, respondents generally possessed positive attitudes towards giraffes and, on average, respondents did not see giraffes as a risk: to personal or children's safety, of disease transfer, to cattle productivity, or the integrity of the land. Risk perception even decreased if a respondent had encountered a giraffe. Interestingly, giraffes were perceived not to cause damage to land or other property by 59% of participants thus highlighting that it may be possible to promote co-existence in the region for a majority of people. Competition for water, lack of awareness on giraffe ecology, giraffe habitat encroachment, and poverty were raised as the four main cause of conflict. Respondents supported the use of fire, torches, and dogs as way to deter giraffes from farms.Discussion Our findings reveal a landscape where conflict exists but remains manageable, and where strong community support for giraffe presence provides a foundation for conflict transformation. Because of the proximity of giraffes to farms and homesteads, economic activities such as agriculture and cultural tourism, women-led acacia tree nurseries, invasive prosopis control and utilization along with opening up water corridors may motivate communities and minimize HGC. Our work provides a basis for action by the community and policy makers to promote giraffe-farmer co-existence in eastern Kenya.
