Olivia Chow plans to do things differently + recycling may not solve the plastic problem

Good morning. This is the Thursday, June 29 edition of First Up, the Star’s daily morning digest. Sign up to get it earlier each day, in your inbox.

Here’s the latest on Olivia Chow’s plan for Toronto, Toronto’s air quality and the future of recycling.

DON’T MISS:

How Olivia Chow intends to do things differently as mayor

While the transition period for a new mayor is usually more than a month, Olivia Chow has requested to take office in just two weeks. On Wednesday, she was already working from a temporary office in city hall, Ben Spurr reports. Though she aims to start the job with consultations, Chow told the Star she’s “not waiting” to address the crises facing her office. Here’s why some pundits have predicted Chow will struggle to advance her agenda and why she feels she won’t.

Toronto’s air quality was the worst in the world due to wildfire smoke

On Wednesday afternoon, smoke from wildfires in northeastern Ontario and Quebec propelled Toronto to the top of a list ranking cities with the worst air quality in the world. The smoke, which has spread as far as Europe, also caused Chicago and Minneapolis to claim top spots. Here’s when Environment Canada said conditions are expected to improve and how Toronto is adjusting to the advisory.

Why recycling may not be the answer to the world’s plastic problem

More than 170 countries are searching for solutions to plastic waste as part of a UN committee negotiating a legally binding agreement, Patty Winsa reports. For now, the body says products and systems need to be redesigned in order to reduce plastic use and ensure plastic is being reused and recycled. But not everyone agrees. Greenpeace USA, for its part, says plastic has no place in a circular economy, while Environmental Defence says certain recycling processes can sometimes do more harm than good. Here’s why the way forward isn’t so clear cut.

WHAT ELSE:

POV:

Western leaders don’t want us to worry about nuclear war. Here’s why we should.

CLOSE-UP:

INDONESIA: Muslims perform a morning prayer marking the Eid al-Adha holiday on a street in Jakarta on Thursday.

Thank you for reading First Up. You can reach me and the First Up team at firstup@thestar.ca

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