The world isn’t a fair place. The rule of law doesn’t apply globally. Might is often right. This reality overarches Canada’s accusation that the Indian government orchestrated the murder/assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar as he left his temple in Surrey. If the evidence is there, then PM Trudeau
Continue readingAuthor: Bill Longstaff
Views from the Beltline: What polarization?
Do conservatives like democracy? That may seem like an unfair question. And for many conservatives it may be. Bur it seems there are many who don’t, and they are very much in the news these days. As the premier example, I offer those American Republicans that have rejected the 2024
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Big state takes on big oil—a lesson for Alberta?
Someone reading this blog might get the impression I take pleasure in hearing about environmental lawsuits against oil companies and their friends. They would be right. I do. And so I enjoyed hearing about perhaps the most prominent climate lawsuit in the U.S. California, the most populous state in the
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Calgary gets serious about housing
Somewhat surprisingly, we have an issue which all three major parties have agreed on. A housing crisis. There is even agreement on how to deal with it. Both the governing Liberals and the opposition Conservatives agree that cities must loosen zoning regulations and open up more opportunities for row housing,
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Do kids have to sue for a sustainable future?
Much publicity was generated recently by a court case in Montana (Held v. State of Montana). A nonprofit called Our Children’s Trust, acting on behalf of 16 young Montanans, sued the state claiming young people have a constitutional right to a healthful environment and the state must consider potential climate
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Talking to China
Winston Churchill is credited with saying “It’s better to jaw-jaw than war-war.” It is very much better indeed when two protagonists are armed with nuclear weapons, say like the U.S. and China. It was refreshing therefore to hear that the two great powers are going to do a lot more
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Sortition—assembling citizens
A recent essay in The New York Times prompts me once again to write about a favourite topic of mine, namely citizens’ assemblies. The essay, by Adam Grant, was entitled “The Worst People Run for Office. It’s Time for a Better Way.” Unfortunately there is a lot of truth in
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: An American hero
The U.S. has come a long way. Any doubt about that was erased last Monday. On that day, a Southern black woman announced that she would hold a former president accountable for his actions. Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani T. Willis announced that a grand jury had indicted former
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Oil industry disappoints (but doesn’t surprise)
Once upon a time I toiled in the oil patch and it was good to me. I worked for Shell Canada and the royal pectin paid well, provided excellent benefits and training, and offered ample opportunities for advancement. I made lifelong friends and was proud to be helping folks heat
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: The planet is literally in hot water
According to the dictionary, getting yourself in hot water means getting yourself into trouble for which you risk punishment. Well, we are heating up the water that covers most of our planet and we will most certainly be punished. I refer of course to the oceans. Our heating of the
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Alberta pauses the future
Alberta is Canada’s leader in renewables projects and investments. Of the new solar and wind generation capacity added in Canada in 2022, 75 percent was in this province. This, it seems, is too much too fast for the provincial government. The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) has paused approvals of new
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Biden, Trump and the authoritarian urge
Recent polls show that Donald Trump and Joe Biden are tied in this very early stage of the 2024 presidential race. Each has just over 40 percent support of registered voters. To many liberals everywhere this is a puzzlement. Joe Biden is a decent man who has restored sanity to
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: A Republican and a Democrat take on big tech
The headline in The New York Times “Lindsey Graham and Elizabeth Warren: When It Comes to Big Tech, Enough Is Enough” caught my eye for two reasons, both good. First, it was a breath of fresh air to see two senior senators from the opposing parties, one Republican (Graham) and
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: August 2—Earth Overshoot Day
The Global Footprint Network performs the public service of calculating how rapidly we are devouring the Earth’s natural resources. The Network is a charitable not-for-profit independent think tank headquartered in Oakland, California. It brings together over 70 partner organizations with the goal of developing and promoting tools for advancing sustainability.
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: The amazing American economy
Reading a very good book recently I was once again reminded of the irrepressible nature of the American economy. The book is Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller. It tells the story of that technological miracle that created the modern world—the silicon chip.
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Japan—role model for a sustainable future?
There was a time, specifically the late 80s and early 90s, when the land of the rising sun was being touted as the new economic superpower. Since the end of WWII, the country’s industries had become increasingly competitive against the West. Some of its corporations—Sony, Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, etc.—had become
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Trump, would-be autocrat
There is a common assumption that Adolf Hitler was elected to the position of Chancellor of Germany. That isn’t strictly correct. In 1933, the Nazi Party held the most seats in the Reichstag (although not a majority) and traditionally that meant its leader was appointed Chancellor. However, President von Hindenburg
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Alberta sacrifices agriculture for oil
There is panic on the prairies. The greatest fear of farmers and ranchers alike is stalking the land—drought. Drought has always been a part of prairie life, of course, but droughts today are different from those of history. Today they are increasingly fuelled by global warming and will get nothing
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Seeing out the Holocene?
We are experiencing a truly momentous event. For 11,700 years we have been living in the epoch our geologist kin call the Holocene. Now they may be about to announce that we have entered a new epoch, the Anthropocene, one we created all by ourselves. What an achievement! We may
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: The cluster bomb curse
The United States recently took a step towards civilizing war, if war can be in any way termed civilized. Last Friday the US Defence Department made history by destroying the last chemical weapon in its military arsenal. The US Senate ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997 and it began
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