The recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) should be a wake-up call for Canada. With a development model based on ever more fossil fuel extraction, Canada’s economy and financial markets are on a collision course with the urgent need for global climate action. The IPCC, for
Continue readingTag: energy
Things Are Good: Ethiopia Opens Africa’s Largest Wind Farm
Ethiopia is looking to massively expand their energy infrastructure and renewable sustainable energy is a key part of their strategy. This is great to see new energy installations focus on the long-term effectiveness and viability of projects. “Various studies have proved that there is potential to harness abundant wind energy
Continue readingThings Are Good: Carbon-Negative Energy Generation
All Power Labs sells a device that converts biomass into electric energy. Their machine, which is based on technology over 60 years old, can produce insanely cheap energy while making use of plant matter. They have units that produce 10 kW and 20 kW respectively while the wait for approval
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: The Staple Theory @ 50: Marc Lee
As part of our continuing series of commentaries celebrating the 50th anniversary of Mel Watkins’ classic article, “A Staple Theory of Economic Growth,” we present the following commentary by Marc Lee, economist with the B.C. office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Marc considers the implications — both economic and
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Tsleil-Waututh to Kinder Morgan: Kwel hoy’, (“we draw the line”)
Friday, October 18, 2013 As anyone who has worked in environmental or social justice knows, sometimes change takes a very, very long time, somewhat like a glacier carving out a valley. Little, incremental changes take place that you don’t notice at the time, but that add up to earth-shattering differences
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Metro Vancouver needs to walk its “zero waste” talk
An oped published in the Vancouver Sun: When delegates attend Metro Vancouver’s Zero Waste conference on Wednesday, they will hear from innovators and big thinkers about how to radically redesign waste out of our economy. Ideas will be presented to aggressively reuse, repair and maintain what we consume, and for composting and
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: From 7 to 29. Should I be worried? Or just keep monitoring?
Seven cents per kilowatt hour. That’s what the energy monitor was showing me a moment before I plugged in the kettle. Then it jumped to 29 cents. Wow! And this is mid-peak time, too, my new energy monitor warns. Should I be worried? Better cut back on the tea if
Continue readingNorthern Insight: When regulators don’t believe in regulation
Fracking in Wyoming With Put the brakes on LNG until impact of fracking investigated, Laila Yuile draws attention to deficient science surrounding hydraulic fracturing in British Columbia. “The rush to develop LNG resources is appalling, considering several countries, states and provinces have already banned or put a moratorium on fracking
Continue readingThings Are Good: Scotland Starts Europe’s Largest Tidal Wave Energy Installation
Tidal wave energy installations are nothing new, but installing it on a scale that can power 42,000 homes is. The other day, the Scottish government gave the go ahead for starting a wave-powered energy installation. “This is a major step forward for Scotland’s marine renewable energy industry. When fully operational,
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: First Nations warn Enbridge against trespass as BC moves to grant preliminary work permits
Tuesday, September 17, 2013 The Yinka Dene Alliance (YDA), composed of six Carrier Sekani First Nations, is ramping up the enforcement of its own laws in the face of Enbridge’s efforts to begin preliminary work in YDA traditional territories to prepare for the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline. Meanwhile, the BC
Continue readingEclectic Lip: Wiki-immortality!
My August Canadian EV car sales stats update went up recently. Which was cool. Cooler still, I had a chance to wax poetic about sustainability, and my new-found optimism that we’ll avoid the worst of our dystopian horrors. I was invited to be a guest lecturer for an engineering course
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Memo to Obama: Canada’s carbon problem IS the tar sands
Canada’s Harper-ment is getting increasingly desperate. The quest to double production out of the Alberta tar sands needs new pipelines (or rail). In recent months, we have seen new proposals for pipelines to the west and to the east, amid further delays of the KeystoneXL pipeline to the south. The
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Energy policy think tank sues Alberta over right to speak at tar sands hearings
The Pembina Institute is suing the Government of Alberta over its decision to bar the energy policy think tank from participating in the regulatory review of a proposed in situ oilsands project. The post Energy policy think tank sues Alberta over right to speak at tar sands hearings appeared first
Continue readingThings Are Good: More Policies Support Renewable Energy Around the World
More countries than ever before now have policies that support renewable energy production. This is obviously a good thing as we are seeing the impact of climate change (like the recent tornados in Japan). We are now a seeing a global effort to slow climate change via policy over the
Continue readingThings Are Good: German Coal and Gas Power Plants Closing Due to Cheap Renewable Energy
Germany has been so effective in tranisitioning from unsustianble (econmically and environemntally) energy sources to renewable ones that it is uncompetitive to burn fossil fuels for power! “Due to the continuing boom in solar energy, many power stations throughout the sector and across Europe are no longer profitable to operate,”
Continue readingThings Are Good: New Solar Powered Vehicles Seemingly from the Future
Last month an airplane known as Solar Impulse completed a fully solar-powered flight across the USA as a demonstration of current solar solutions. In the video above you can see why they made the flight and how the Switezerland-based company wants to change air travel. At the Guardian there is
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Standing Up for Nature and Democracy in Federal Court
Thursday, August 15, 2013 This week, the latest chapter in Canada’s David and Goliath struggle between citizens and Big Oil unfolded as a BC non-profit organization, Forest Ethics Advocacy, launched a constitutional challenge to new requirements in the National Energy Board Act that have the effect of silencing citizens concerned
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Spot the difference between two gas industry maps
Wednesday, August 14, 2013 Remember when Enbridge accidentally left hundreds of islands off the maps it submitted in support of the environmental assessment of its Pipelines and Tankers project? Well, it turns out that Enbridge is not the only cartographically-challenged oil and gas company. Can you see what's missing from
Continue readingThings Are Good: Global Solar and Wind Energy Production Continues to Grow
The sustainable energy market consistently needs to prove its worth despite the obvious benefits, whats worse is that the industry as a whole is up against the subsidized fossil fuel industry. Despite the artificially lowered fossil fuel prices sustainable energy solutions continue to prove their economic worth. Global solar and
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Ice Crisis at the Poles: Ice, Ice, Baby
What continent is this, anyway? And why does it matter? The arctic ice cap will be fully melting in the next few summers, likely. There is a lake on top of the ice at the North Pole. Santa is getting worried. “On August 26, 2012, the Arctic sea ice extent
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