Pessimism seems appropriate
Instead of following the science that states clearly that fossil fuel production must decrease, Canadian governments are using our money to increase the output coal, oil, and gas. I will…
Norman Farrell
“The make it or break it year”
Earth is showing us the need for immediate action. Politicians and business leaders are ignoring these messages; citizens who want future generations to survive, should not…
Politics is harder than it looks
Instead of giving up power to climate activists, NDP leaders are more likely to drive them out of the party. There remains a chance Anjali Appadurai will not be allowed…
Economics of delusion
Ethnographer, writer, photographer, filmmaker, and native of British Columbia, Wade Davis speaks…
Screwed!
It may be too late to save the billions of dollars that will flow to private power producers because corrupt practices are not easily resolved in court. But it is…
Deficits of knowledge and attention, by design
Moderation of climate change must be today’s priority. Governments that refuse to act ignore their duty to protect and safeguard the lives of citizens.
Straight talk about lame talk
New owners took over The Georgia Straight two years ago. That quickly led to changes that are not reader-friendly. However, their website still offers useful commentary and is particularly worth…
Tweet of the day
Natural, holistic, hypoallergenic and the profit margin is enormous. So, if we can…
BC is good at climate action failure
Peter McCartney wrote about government and industry turning northeast British Columbia into a sacrifice zone: If this destruction were happening in the Lower Mainland or the Capital Regional District, it…
Corporate pollution and destruction licensed by government
In May 2016, British Columbia’s Auditor General Carol Bellringer released An Audit of Compliance and Enforcement of the Mining Sector. It was a scathing but underreported report quickly forgotten by…
The Carbon Footprint of Transportation
As concern about climate change has grown, individuals are becoming increasingly conscious of their impact on the environment…
Change is our collective responsibility
Many people proceed in life as if no material changes are needed for humans to survive beyond the 21st century. But David Attenborough was correct when about ten years ago,…
Quixotic quest bound to fail
A group of naive people believe that John Horgan’s departure will result in an open contest by which party members will elect a leader. But BC’s New Democratic Party is…
Happiness is…
The first World Happiness Report was presented in 2012. This week the 2022 report was published. Perhaps surprisingly, in most nations, average life evaluations have remained “remarkably resilient during COVID-19.”…
BC’s private power origins
An extensive private power industry was created by Premier Gordon Campbell and friends early in the 21st century. A government that had little regard for nature opened vast areas of…
Unclean clean energy
In addition to the known mercury contamination of fisheries caused by hydroelectric developments, reservoirs increase emissions of methane and carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. In some cases this increase, per…
Doing the right thing
British Columbia could be in the sixth year of the PowerBC program had John Horgan been sincere when he announced it in 2015. Instead, the NDP government and public institutions…
Young Canadians, it’s your turn
In 2020, young people went to Germany’s Constitutional Court to argue the country’s Federal Climate Protection Act (“Bundesklimaschutzgesetz” or “KSG”) was insufficient and therefore violated their constitutional rights. They succeeded.//
Trillions of dollars in fossil fuel subsidies
Part of the trillions of dollars in subsidies to fossil fuel producers reflects governments undercharging supply costs (rights and royalties), but most involve implicit subsidies, including undercharging for environmental costs.…
Moronic public policy
The utility that for years could not estimate demand growth accurately and missed on the Site C cost estimate by 100% knew the future danger posed by rooftop solar panels…