Bring governments back better
To many of us, it might seem like an eternity has passed since the World Health Organization announced in January 2020 the appearance of a mysterious coronavirus-related pneumonia in Wuhan, China. Today, COVID-19 has evolved into four variants around the world infecting 188.3 million people and causing more than four million deaths. Throughout this time, one truth […]
High time for federal government to act on climate emergency, says Ottawa letter writer
It is only the middle of July and Canada is already on track for one of the worst wildfire seasons ever. Besides that, this country has been ravaged by floods, drought, and other impacts of the extreme heat this summer. Climate change is hitting us here and now, but our federal and provincial governments are […]
Will Canada take advantage of its wind resources to reach its climate goals?
The Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) recently reported that more wind energy capacity has been built in Canada over the last five years than any other form of electricity generation. With a current ranking of ninth in the world for total onshore installed wind capacity, Canada appears on track to maintain or improve its position, […]
A dose of optimism—and realism—to decarbonize Alberta
An economically viable path to decarbonize Alberta’s oil and gas sector is starting to look much less like fantasy and a whole lot more feasible. Five recent announcements show that the pieces are coming together: plans for a new $1.3-billion net zero hydrogen plant in Edmonton; an announcement from Alberta Energy to facilitate creation of […]
Canada needs to cap its pipeline of fossil fuel supports
In the midst of unprecedented heat waves, Canada’s climate policy paradox—promising climate action, while instead supporting fossil fuel extraction—was exposed yet again this week. A new report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), an internationally reputed research institute, reveals new details about how federal and provincial governments continue to bankroll the fossil fuel […]
Ottawa’s fixation with trees and climate: what exactly are we planting?
By two significant measures, last year’s effort to plant 300 million tree seedlings in Canada’s most forest-rich province was a remarkable achievement. Not only was it a record for a single year in British Columbia, but it was achieved in the early throes of the first lockdown associated with the then relatively new COVID-19 pandemic. […]
Forestry’s bright future cannot resemble a bygone era
The forest sector is facing unprecedented challenges in Canada, but with those challenges come opportunities to build a strong industry based on truly sustainable harvesting practices that can provide long-lasting, dependable jobs, preserve biodiversity, protect our watersheds, and cushion the planet from the impact of climate change. So how is the industry coping with these […]
Sustainability starts with natural resources
One of Canada’s greatest riches is our wealth of natural resources. From the Great Lakes to old-growth trees, our land and waters have supported people living in Canada for generations. Yet current resource extraction continues at unsustainable levels, and we must act quickly to protect our land and waters and to mitigate climate change. First […]
Some inconvenient truths in the race to a renewable energy transition
Last month, the traditionally conservative International Energy Agency dropped a bombshell on the international fossil fuel community by calling for a “net-zero” energy system by the year 2050. The report is but the latest in a series of court decisions, shareholder movements, and investment trends that point to a serious shift away from fossil fuels. […]
How to achieve balance between environmental stewardship and the resource economy
Individuals, corporations, and governments all want an easy solution to finding a balance between responsible environmental stewardship and a prosperous resource economy. These are two mutually exclusive concepts—or are they? In Canada, we never give up hope. We know it is a long road back to justice that we all have to traverse, together, without […]
