The failure of Canadian toxics law in Canada means fewer cancerous substances in the air, but more on the ground
Whether used for industrial, commercial, or other purposes, cancer-causing heavy metals like arsenic, lead, and mercury compounds, or organic chemicals like benzene, are not substances to which humans should be exposed. Nationally, on-site air emissions of these and other cancer-causing agents decreased by millions of kilograms during the 2006-2020 period, but their on-site disposal and […]
Climate change clashing with human speed limit
LONDON, U.K.—I’m writing this on a plane to Greenland—well, actually, on a plane to Denmark, because there’s no way to get to Greenland by a civilian airline without going through Copenhagen first—and it has occurred to me (not for the first time) to wonder where everybody else is. My wife and I are on our […]
Can weakened democracies survive global warming?
United States President Joe Biden was right to warn of the threat to democracy represented by America’s “Make America Great Again” movement, but even if American voters manage to hold the threat at bay in the next few years, an even bigger danger to our social and political order is fast approaching: the dislocations that global warming […]
Crane: Canada needs to rethink its ‘zombie’ identity as an oil and gas superpower
TORONTO—In Canada we have a new zombie—a bad idea that refuses to die. This is the ongoing push to build liquified natural gas plants on Canada’s East Coast to replace natural gas from Russia in Europe. Goldy Hyder, president of the Business Council of Canada, implies we even have a “moral obligation” to do so. […]
Canada-Germany hydrogen agreement signals increased role for Atlantic Canada’s ocean energy resources
Last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signed a Joint Declaration of Intent, agreeing to co-operate towards a goal of shipping clean hydrogen fuel from Canada to Europe by 2025. Germany, like many countries around the world, is seeking long-term energy replacements for fossil fuels to meet climate commitments, and to […]
International Energy Agency delivers forward-looking report, Canada should jump on board
TORONTO—For the G20 Energy Transitions Ministerial held in Bali on Sept. 2, the International Energy Agency delivered a forward-looking report containing some key messages that should be especially important for Canada as we address fundamental changes in the world of energy and engage in an overdue effort to seriously address climate change. If we focus […]
Global effort needed to confront unprecedented flooding and climate change, says Pakistani envoy
As unmatched flooding has displaced millions and led to the deaths of more than 1,200 people, Pakistan’s top diplomat in Canada is calling for an international effort to help address the immediate crisis and to help his country’s recovery. The flooding, which has been caused by an atypically heavy monsoon season and the melting of […]
How to procure a green economy
The Government of Canada is rightly focused on achieving net zero by 2050. Yet, Ottawa is still resisting implementing procurement policies to support a green economy. The federal government is the single largest buyer in the country. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), it is estimated that the procurement of goods […]
What shall we do with the climate refugees?
LONDON, U.K.—You wait ages for the bus, and then three come along at once. Books are a bit like that, too, although in this case it’s only a pair of them, both tackling the question of what to do about all the climate refugees. (The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration estimates that 1.5 billion […]
Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy will be too little, too late without action now
Environment and Climate Change Canada is now racing against time to deliver Canada’s first National Adaptation Strategy. With 10 weeks to go before nations table their adaptation strategies at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, advisory tables set up to support development of a Canadian approach have yet to see a draft strategy. Last fall, Environment […]
