‘Canada needs to step up’: better department-level reporting needed on sustainable targets with Canada’s biodiversity ‘at serious risk,’ audit finds
The government is offering incomplete, untimely, and inconsistent updates on Canada’s progress fulfilling Ottawa’s sustainable development strategy with many departments are failing to offer data, despite an annual reporting expectation, according to a new report released by the federal environment commissioner on Tuesday. Canada and the world are facing what the United Nations calls the […]
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 […]
Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty an attempt to ‘name the elephant in the room,’ say supporters
In the wake of catastrophic natural disasters in Atlantic Canada, Florida, Pakistan, and elsewhere around the world, environmental advocates are rallying support for a treaty that would seek to phase out the production of fossil fuels, just as previous treaties sought to limit the stockpiles of nuclear weapons. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly on […]
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 […]
