Are we ready for the unimaginable? Ensuring nuclear safety post-Fukushima
Are we ready for the unimaginable? Ensuring nuclear safety post-Fukushima As we remember those lives lost, and still affected, by the Great Tohoku Earthquake in northeastern Japan and the aftermath of the nuclear accident at the Fukushima nuclear site in March 2011, we must renew our commitment to ensure the safety and security of nuclear […]
Road map to decarbonization: safe bets versus greenwashing
Since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s special report, which stated that to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 C global emissions would need to reach net zero by 2050, a number of countries, including Canada, and companies have made net-zero commitments. But what lies within the buzzword? As always, the devil is in […]
Canada’s electrified future is a challenge, but one we can achieve
A recent survey found nearly 70 per cent of Canadians planning to purchase a new car in the next five years are likely to buy an electric vehicle, a result that raises the question about the electricity system’s ability to meet the increased demand. In addition to cars, the electricity sector is being looked at […]
Feds urged to boost electric vehicle incentive program, allow used cars to qualify
Experts and stakeholders are urging the federal government to not only top up the electric vehicle incentive program, but also expand the eligibility criteria to allow used vehicles to qualify so lower-income Canadians can better take advantage of the program. “There’s a ton of evidence electric vehicle [EV] incentives are effective at driving the adoption […]
Canada’s climate accountability framework needs more teeth to get to net zero
Scientists issued a new analysis, published today in Nature Climate Change, tracking countries’ progress—or lack thereof—in reducing their emissions since the landmark Paris Agreement was signed in 2015. The study, which I led, showed that fossil carbon emissions, the main source of greenhouse gases causing climate change, decreased in 64 countries, including the United States, […]
Canada should spread its bets in transition to net zero
Uncertainty can be paralyzing. And, when the stakes are high, doubly so. Ask five people how Canada should get to net-zero emissions by 2050, and you may get six answers. There is no shortage of ideas: electrification, carbon capture and storage, direct air capture, hydrogen fuel, small modular nuclear—all are on the table, and many […]
Canada has an opportunity to work with U.S. to forge a new path on climate action
U.S. President Joe Biden made some big moves in support of bold climate action immediately after stepping into office. Within hours of his inauguration, he passed executive orders to return the United States to the Paris Climate Accord, suspend all new oil and gas drilling permits on federal land, and cancel the Keystone XL pipeline. […]
Biden’s protected-area push highlights Canada’s conservation opportunity
At the Feb. 23 bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Joe Biden’s first remarks sounded a bit like a friendly taunt: Canada should keep up as he rolls out his bold, new agenda: “We’re all best served when the United States and Canada work together and lead together,” he said. Considering the […]
Leaving Taiwan out of official UN climate conversation hurts everyone
While the world is focusing on handling the COVID-19 crisis, we cannot afford to ignore the looming existential crisis of climate change. This crisis cannot be solved unless there are urgent, effective, and global actions. It is a truly worldwide problem which will require every country’s participation to achieve an effective solution. To that end, […]
About time to make offshore workers’ safety a real priority
In the shadow of Bill C-7 on medical assistance in dying, the Senate passed another important bill. Bill S-3, An Act to amend the Offshore Health and Safety Act reinstates and extends transitional regulations while permanent regulations are being finalized. The initial legislation from 2014 gave five years to adopt these regulations and this period […]
