Category: Climate Change

Municipal politics and climate action

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A friend of mine is deeply engaged with his local government. He is, by his own admission, a royal pain in the ass to people at city hall. His theory is that municipal politicians are the most accessible elected officials and the ones most likely to respond directly to the views of their constituents. I share his hope that people will become involved in October’s local elections. Talk to the candidates. Attend public meetings. Tell them what matters to you—and ask what they intend to do about it.

Wildfires and the choices behind them

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The feedback dynamics involved are precisely what climate scientists have long warned about: hotter and drier conditions created by a warming climate make forests more combustible, while burning forests release carbon that further accelerates warming. Current trends suggest this dangerous “feedback loop” is gaining momentum.

Alternative energy solutions

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Hydropower is dispatchable. It is generally reliable, can increase or decrease generation quickly, and can be shut down and restarted with relative ease. Provided the facilities are properly maintained, the system should perform well.
But what happens when drought leaves too little water to drive the turbines? The answer is simple: electricity production declines.

Carney, Smith and Eby’s climate betrayal

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Governments acknowledge climate science, then pursue policies that directly contradict it. They transfer public wealth to immensely profitable corporations, encourage greater fossil-fuel dependence, and leave ordinary people to bear the mounting costs of fires, floods, droughts, extreme heat, illness, displacement, and environmental destruction. The first duty of government is to protect human life and the public interest. Leaders who knowingly intensify a threat to both are not merely failing in that duty. They are betraying it. This is not climate leadership. It is a betrayal of the people governments are supposed to protect—and of the generations who will inherit the consequences.

What we pretend not to see

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I recently stumbled across an American website: A Moveable Feed from buttondown.com. It promises to deliver “Blunt, funny takes on today’s biggest stories from a recovering DC insider.” This week, the website published Smoke, Fire, And What We Pretend Not To See. I found the full article engaging. Below the separator are excerpts.

Damn the climate science, full speed ahead! – UPDATED

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During the 1864 American Civil War Battle of Mobile Bay, Rear Admiral Farragut ordered his fleet forward after the vessel Tecumseh struck a torpedo—and sank. The admiral said something like, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” David Eby is desperate for any kind of achievement, so the premier left yesterday for China, where he will promote a gigantic expansion of the LNG plant that is now polluting Kitimat and spewing methane into the atmosphere. Eby is in effect saying, “Damn the climate science, full speed ahead!”

Creating new markets for a fossil fuel

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The Tyee is reporting on why the federal government wants to promote and subsidize a national network of data centres. Apparently the Liberals discount peer-reviewed science that says the global warming emissions from burning natural gas are higher than those from clean energy sources like wind or solar.

Tar sands pollution up to 64 times higher that official estimates

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Peer-reviewed science found that emissions from Alberta’s oilsands may be far greater than regulators and the public have been led to believe. Aircraft measurements revealed gas-phase organic carbon emissions up to 64 times higher than official estimates reported by the industry. Total organic carbon emissions in Alberta are equivalent to those from all other sources across Canada combined.

Fact versus Fiction

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People of this world have many problems. Not least among them is climate change. Environmental activist David Suzuki discussed his pessimism about the future. Dr. Suzuki thinks we have now lost the fight against climate change. An image here explains the loss.

Carbon taxes examined

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Reading comments on social media and listening to statements by certain politicians, it is apparent that carbon taxes are often misunderstood. These impositions are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and science shows that would improve human health and lessen catasrophic losses resulting from climate change…

Carbon dioxide emissions hit a record in 2024 and show no signs of dropping

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Andrew Coyne says carbon tax critics who ignore rebates are dishonest. They are eager to damage the Earth and the Canadian economy if a political advantage can be gained. Duplicity may be a useful tool for politicians but it damages our democratic institutions. Beyond that, maligning the carbon tax impairs Canadian efforts to deal with climate change. That has real consequences.

Forest protection, a vital climate action

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The Province can unleash a squad of public relations staff and announce BC is on track to meet its climate targets. Like other provinces, BC has no independent method for accountability. Claims made about greenhouse gas reductions, clean energy, and forest protection are not fully supported by trustworthy science.