The Cult
Critics of the Republican Party are increasingly depicting the GOP as a “cult.” It’s no longer the party of Lincoln. It’s the cult of Donald J. Trump. In today’s Guardian,…
The Mound of Sound
You Don’t Have to Like Hillary to Know She’s Right
Hillary Clinton brought a warning to an audience in London today – Britain is at risk of succumbing to authoritarianism and fascism. Speaking to an audience in London, Clinton said…
Trump "We’re Keeping the Oil."
Turkish president Recep Erdogan seems to have received a warm welcome to the White House from his American counterpart, Donnie Trump. During the obligatory joint press conference Trump addressed the…
What? Labour Costs are Causing Foreign Companies to Leave China.
Deutche Welle reports that a surprising number of German companies are shifting all or part of their Chinese operations elsewhere. A transformation under way in China is making other, lower-wage…
International Energy Agency Sees Encouraging Signs on Climate Change but Too Little, Too Late.
The International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2019 sees renewable energy and electric vehicles coming on stream much faster than predicted but not nearly fast enough. The New York Times…
What’s Our Policy to Avert Epidemics?
Beijing hospitals are treating two people for plague. It’s not the bubonic plague. It is the much deadlier pneumonic plague. Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and can…
Venice Has a Water Problem
The city of canals and gondolas is no stranger to seasonal flooding but even Venice is not immune to sea level rise. The city is now taking the brunt of…
Canadian Exceptionalism
There are some 180 countries but Canada is one of just three. We are rated one of three countries “least likely” to meet our GHG emissions targets. Way to go,…
What’s Going On In Our Waters? The Climate Crisis.
Until a couple of years ago coastal British Columbia had masses of purple starfish. Then something wiped them out. Sea star wasting disease hit hard and fast. The disease arrived…
The Brits Banned Fracking. Not Ottawa, And It’s Ruining the Atmosphere.
A study out of Cornell has found that the fracking boom in the US and Canada is the chief culprit in the large spike in atmospheric methane levels. Professor Robert…
Yeah, A Tanker-Free Zone. Except When Ottawa Says Otherwise.
Ottawa needs to leave the safety of the west coast to the grownups. Ottawa’s department of fisheries and oceans seems intent on wreaking as much havoc in the Pacific as…
When "Worst Case" Becomes Your New Normal
How did scientists get climate change so wrong? The question is asked in today’s New York Times. Things are happening today that just ten or fifteen years ago scientists were…
You Feelin’ Like You Need a Laugh?
When I “cut the cable” I lost my connection to CBC’s 22 Minutes. I still haven’t worked out what to do with that but I have reconnected with 22 Minutes.…
Has DFO Screwed Up Again?
Have BC mussels developed a form of contagious cancer? The New York Times is reporting on research out of Columbia University that traced the cancer back to Bay mussels from…
Bolton Wants to Spill His Guts on Trump?
Former Trump national security advisor and bellicose neoconservative may be ready to turn on his former boss. The New York Times reports that John Bolton’s lawyer says his client is…
And Now, a Word From Britain’s Ministry of Defence
From time to time this blog refers to research papers on climate change released by the Pentagon and Britain’s Ministry of Defence. The Brits recently released the sixth edition of…
Trudeau Pipeline Gets Pushback in Washington
A group of climate activists in southern Washington are blocking the delivery of pipe from India destined for the construction of the Justin Trudeau Memorial Pipeline. Young activists interrupted the…
A "Century of Revolution and Chaos"
When we entered the 21st century a few history types predicted we were embarked on a century of revolution and chaos. They suggested that our traditional institutions and modes of…
Show Us Your Science, Mr. Trudeau
It was about as dire a warning as they come. Nobody was crying ‘wolf.’ Certainly not 11,000 of them. They warned of “untold suffering” around the world if we don’t…