Toward a cleaner, greener future
OTTAWA—Since COP1—the first United Nations Climate Change Conference in Berlin back in 1995—the dialogue around our impact on the planet has gradually moved in the right direction, but action hasn’t followed suit. Carbon dioxide emissions released by global fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes have jumped from about 25 billion metric tonnes annually in 1995 […]
With mounting trade irritants and looming negotiations, the House Trade Committee faces a ‘time crunch’
A multitude of trade irritants and soon-to-start trade negotiations has left the House Committee on International Trade, which has had one meeting in the six months, with much on its docket while it breaks for Parliament’s winter break. The committee met for the first time in the 44th Parliament on Dec. 13—the first meeting since […]
Clean, co-operative resource development will secure our future in the North
When we negotiated the Nunavut Agreement 30 years ago, we had a vision for Nunavut as a vibrant, economically self-sufficient territory that leveraged its own resources. Our vision anticipated major development, as we had seen in other jurisdictions, and guaranteed Inuit a right to fully take part in this development. Institutions were created through the […]
There is an answer to avoid a climate catastrophe, so what are we waiting for?
The United Nations recently declared: “The evidence is irrefutable: greenhouse gas emissions are choking our planet and placing billions [of people] in danger. We must act decisively now to avert a climate catastrophe.” Reading the words, I feel horror for our children’s future and frustration that the sense of urgency to take sweeping action seems […]
Moving from COP26 talks to action: sustainable forestry key to combatting climate change
More than 130 world leaders took a major step forward at the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow by recognizing the importance of forests in the urgent fight against climate change. The leaders, representing more than 90 per cent of the world’s forests, have committed to work together to halt and reverse forest loss and land […]
Backtracking coal targets a COP26 failure, but summit still brings hope
LONDON, U.K.—Closing the two-week COP26 climate summit in Glasgow on Nov. 13, Alok Sharma, the British president of the 197-country conference, declared “We’ve kept 1.5 [degrees Celsius] within reach, but its pulse is weak.” But he was close to tears several times in his closing remarks. That was not because the 40,000-delegate meeting was a […]
‘A major slap in the face’: Steven Guilbeault’s appointment draws ire, concern over the future of Alberta’s energy industry
Steven Guilbeault’s history of environmental activism has some Alberta MPs worried about the future of oil and gas in the province, while others say there needs to be a transition away from reliance on this sector in Alberta. Mr. Guilbeault’s (Laurier–Sainte-Marie, Que.) appointment on Oct. 26 as the environment and climate change minister came less […]
Climate change and urgent need for an energy revolution offer enormous scope for innovators and entrepreneurs
TORONTO—Where there’s great need, there’s great opportunity—and the greater the need, the greater the opportunity. Which is why climate change and the urgent need for an energy revolution offer such enormous scope for our innovators and entrepreneurs. But will Canadians be left out of the global energy revolution, what some call the green industrial revolution, […]
We need nuclear power to meet our climate goals
As summer wound down, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change, released its latest report. The news is frightening and undeniable—climate change is widespread, intensifying, and accelerating. If we don’t take greater steps to cut greenhouse gas emissions, some of the consequences we’ve […]
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 […]
