-
The terrifying math of the incoming El Niño
We are now living in a dangerously warmed climate. That means two things: first, that climate adaptation—infrastructure and policy decisions focused on mitigating the harm that our warming climate is causing—is not some far-off question. We need to be preparing for the next unprecedented heat wave, flood or fire as though it were coming this summer—because it very well might be.
-
AMLO’s mining reforms could lead to more conflict with Canada
AMLO’s mining reforms are an expansion of his efforts to reduce foreign domination of Mexico’s mineral reserves, and part of his wider “Fourth Transformation” program of securing national sovereignty over the country’s lucrative resources. Up until now, his actions toward the sector have taken the form of freezing new mining and water permits for foreign companies.
-
Ten reasons we can’t blame the carbon tax for inflation
From the onset of the post-COVID surge in inflation, Canada’s new breed of right-wing populists has worked hard to pin the blame for higher prices on the federal government. They rightly sense anger about the impact of inflation on their living standards. But they hope to divert that anger into outrage at Justin Trudeau personally, and his government more generally.
-
On the Amazon, Lula tries to undo Bolsonaro’s destructive legacy
Lula’s efforts to repair the environmental damages done by the Bolsonaro administration have gotten off to a slow start, but progress has undoubtedly been made in the repairing of the governmental agencies that will play a role in reining in deforestation. Will Lula succeed at mending the immense harms that his predecessor inflicted?
-
With climate indicators ‘off the charts,’ UN chief calls policies of rich nations a ‘death sentence’
The World Meteorological Organization warned Friday that climate change indicators are “off the charts,” one day after United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told officials from wealthy countries that their refusal to halt fossil fuel expansion amounts to a civilizational “death sentence” and pleaded with them to urgently decarbonize.
-
Fossil fuel capitalism rewards John Horgan
When John Horgan announced that would be joining the board of a coal company, it was inevitable that some critical voices would be raised. Writing in the Prince George Citizen, John Steidle, was particularly sharp in his response, in which he made the observation that “If you actually worked for the people, I can guarantee you the corporate sector wouldn’t want to touch you with a ten foot pole.”
-
Alberta tailings leak reveals the failures of Canada’s environmental assessment process
If Canada wants to build a truly sustainable economy, the federal and provincial governments must implement meaningful consultation measures, respect constitutional treaty rights, and ensure that companies comply with their environmental commitments. Without these changes, any Canadian move toward “sustainability” will occur at the level of branding, not action.
-
National and international groups call for governments to take action against OceanaGold
The statement by seventy-seven human rights and environmental organizations regarding OceanaGold’s activities around the world is an important call for industry accountability and sustainable development in the relevant countries. It is hardly surprising that, so far, nobody in the Trudeau government has acknowledged its publication.
-
Canada needs a real plan to take on Big Plastic
The Canadian economy produces more plastic waste per capita than any other in the world. The often-quoted statistic that we have only ever recycled eight to nine percent of our plastic obscures the fact that recycling is an industry ploy, a highly effective delay tactic devised in the 1970s to neutralize public concern about plastic waste.
-
Who really benefits from Ontario’s Bill 23?
Now that the head-shaking over Ontario’s Bill 23 has settled, one thing is widely agreed: the only possible beneficiaries are real estate developers. And the developers who stand to benefit most are major supporters of the Progressive Conservative Party, many of whom own property surrounding the highway that would cut across protected areas of the Greenbelt.