Solar panels are draining the sun. Crap. Double crap. This week, a scientific research facility in Wyoming made a startling discovery that is certain to change the way millions of Americans look at the environmentalism movement, after they found conclusive evidence that solar panels not only convert the sun’s energy
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Cowichan Conversations: ‘Brent at the Focus’ Reports on The Environmental Appeal Board Hearing over SIA’s Application
Shawnigan Lake faces an uncertain future. Here is a very good report from ‘Brent at the Focus’ regarding the BC Environmental Appeal Board Hearing over South Island Aggregates (SIA) applications to dump contaminated soils in the Shawnigan Watershed. It includes revelations of a possible conflict with Active Earth-AE, the professional
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Can Anyone Explain Why the Canadian Government is Subsidizing the Fossil Fuel Industries?
Cowichan Conversations Contributor Why are we some of the most world’s most profitable companies receiving what amount to public handouts when we are supposedly living in a time of austerity? Last year the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published a report on global energy subsidies that analyzed 176 countries. It concluded that
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
This and that for your weekend reading. – Tavis Smiley discusses the need to speak realistically about the causes and effects of poverty, rather than simply dismissing real human costs as somebody else’s fault and problem. And similarly, Tim Stacey comments on the appalling “empathy gap” – which sees upper-class
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Poll: Albertans clearly support stronger rules for industrial greenhouse gas emissions
by: Pembina Institute | Press Release | May 23, 2014 EDMONTON — New poll results show that 76 per cent of Albertans support the Government of Alberta requiring stronger greenhouse gas performance regulations for industrial facilities. Federal and provincial greenhouse gas regulations for the oil and gas sector have long been in the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Linda McQuaig writes that while the Cons don’t want to bother listening to the public about much of anything, they’ll always make time for a disgraced former advisor lobbying on behalf of oil barons: In…new RCMP allegations,… [Bruce] Carson was working for the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Jared Bernstein discusses how fair and progressive taxes on the rich are a necessary element of any effort to improve the lot of the poor: The rising tide of inequality does more than create great economic distance between income classes. It also produces
Continue readingWhy is the environment considered primarily a left-wing concern?
Conservative and conservation are almost the same word, both deriving from the Latin conservare, “to preserve,” and differing only by two letters. We might expect, therefore, that conservatives would be great conservationists, deeply concerned about preserving the natural world, foremost stewards of the environment. Yet that doesn’t seem to be
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Clean Energy News of the Week: Solar Roadways Video Going Viral
Richard Hughes-Futurist In these days of largely bad news, here is a good news story to lift your spirits. In truth the technological capabilities that are possible could transform our lives and drastically reduce pollution making the world a better place. This really is a must read post and take
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Denmark and Germany Show Us How Easy It Is
Seeking some climate justice and labour justice? You’ve come to the right place. Here’s how Denmark and Germany are showing us that it isn’t brain surgery. Why re-invent the wheel; just steal ideas from people who already get it. Simple! Denmark Someone once told me that Starbucks stores in Safeway
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: The BC Liberal Government Is Foolishly Moving To Allow Fracking On Farmland-Videos
Long time Cowichan activist Bill Woollam has offered this guest post critical of fracking and David Black’s refinery proposal. Bill has his own blog that covers wide-ranging issues. It can be found here. Bill Woollam Guest Post I recently wrote to David Black, newspaper owner/manager, in response to his support
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – The Globe and Mail joins the chorus calling for Canada to welcome more citizens, rather than exploiting cheap and disposable workers. But Bill Curry reports on yet another corporate lobby group demanding that the Cons actually expand the flow of temporary labour
Continue readingConference Board illustrates folly of conventional economic metrics
Once again conventional measurement has painted a warped view of our economic well-being. Relying principally on growth in the GDP sense, The Conference Board of Canada applauds the oil and gas rich provinces—Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador—for being the country’s top economic performers. In the short term they are: highest
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Climate Change is Here Now
Richard Hughes-Political as hell! Climate change is happening and has been happening for some considerable time. The Climate Deniers have gone to great lengths attempting to convince us that it is not true. In spite of their efforts it is now a part of our consciousness and although we know
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – George Monbiot writes that contrary to the theory that wealth is a precondition to environmental standards, increased consumption tends to correlate to disregard for the our impact on the environment: For years we’ve been told that people cannot afford to care about
Continue readingThings Are Good: Support The Experimental Lakes Area
The Experimental Lakes Area has suffered greatly from the Canadian government’s anti-science funding policies and has luckily been saved by the International Institute for Sustainable Development. To ensure that further damage can’t come from the ideologically-driven and anti-environment Conservative Party the ELA has turned to crowd funding to survive. Last
Continue readingBlast Furnace Canada Blog: Oil spills, oil schmills
So the Cons have announced they’re raising the penalty for offshore oil spills – from $161 million to $2 billion ($400 million for the actual offence, the rest for environmental damage). It’s not just they’re not kidding anyone. It’s that they made the announcement on the East Coast where the
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Taking the HST off hydro is bad policy, if good politics
One of the signature campaign planks for the NDP in the 2014 Ontario Election is to remove the HST from our hydro bills, saving perhaps $120 a year for average families. The motivation behind this – reducing the cost to average families – is reasonable and will undoubtedly be a
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading. – Alyssa Battistoni writes that a universal basic income could go a long way toward solving environmental and economic problems alike by placing a focus on sustainable quality of life rather than increasing consumer consumption: If overconsumption is actually the problem, we can’t fix
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