It’s Earth Overshoot Day, 2019
It’s Earth Overshoot Day, the earliest ever. That’s not a good thing. July 29 marks the day on which humanity, the lot of us, have consumed the total volume of…
The Mound of Sound
What Are We Doing? A Shot in the Arm for the Tar Sands.
There’s news this morning about Teck Resources play to open a new pit in the Athabasca Tar Sands. It promises to be a major investment, 20 billion, and the company…
Climate Change – a Burning Fuse in the Middle East
Across the Middle East, climate change-driven heatwaves and drought are giving rise to destabilizing impacts. The Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, reports that the country is dangerously unprepared for global food shortages.…
And Now, Deep Thoughts from Ricky Gervais
Maybe he’s on to something.
Another Nail in the Climate Deniers’ Coffin
The climate deniers’ equivalent of “speak to the hand” is to haul out their favourite line – the climate has always been changing. It’s their version of ‘nothing to see…
James Lovelock’s Brave New World
Did I say “brave”? Okay, leave that out – James Lovelock’s New World. Jim turned the big One Oh Oh on Friday. Happy Birthday, James. Chances are you know Lovelock…
If I Had One Word to Describe Climate Change…
To me, one word captures the essence of climate change – faster. The onset of climate change is coming at us faster than we ever imagined even just a few…
Facing Facts in British Columbia
The near total absence of fanfare marks the release by the BC government of a 400-page climate assessment for the province for the next 30 years. The Vancouver Sun’s Vaughn…
Trump Punked
Pretty hilarious. On Tuesday, Donnie J. Trump gave an address to a conservative youth group, Turning Point USA. As Trump approached the podium, the presidential seal was displayed on a…
Maybe the Greeks Were Right
The ancient Greeks believed in hubris and nemesis. Hubris is associated with arrogance, pride, and a dangerous overconfidence that often leads to punishing a victim. Boeing was hubristic when it…
Records Keep Falling. Today, It’s Paris.
A new record for Paris, 42.4 degrees Celsius. The City of Light swelters. July record set for Amsterdam. In the UK, orders have gone out that trains must slow down…
The Crushing Weight of Climate Change
It used to be so much easier. There would be big news on climate change once, twice, maybe three times in a big week. It was mainly the science stuff…
Europe – Round Two
It seems like just last month that Europe was enduring a heatwave that saw a pile of all time temperature records broken. Wait, why it was just last month. Ah,…
The Tipping Point Both Justin and Chuckles Must Dread
With each worsening season public awareness of the magnitude of the threat posed by climate change increases. Priorities shift when your house is on fire. Arguments extolling the merits of…
A Reminder – Natural Gas Is Not a Clean Fossil Fuel
Sure, when it’s burned, natural gas generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions per unit of energy than carbon-heavy alternatives such as coal and bitumen. The devil, of course, is in the…
Brexit With Boris
Frying pan, meet fire. Conservative party members have selected their new leader, the next prime minister of the UK, bad boy Boris Johnson. He won by a 2-1 margin over…
Mardi Gras Meltdown or Baked Alaska
Alaska is throwing its universities to the wolves. The Republican governor, Michael Dunleavy, eager to deliver bread and circuses to the people of the 49th state, has slashed university funding…
Here’s a Way Cathy Could Make Herself Useful
Dame Cathy McKenna, Trudeau’s EnviroMin, isn’t much in the public eye these days. It must be tough playing defender of the environment in a petro-government out to burn the place…
Whatever Happened To – Lindsey Graham?
According to Bill Maher, Lindsey Graham lost his spine when his boyfriend, John McCain, died. Up till then, Graham was a reliable critic of his president, Donald J. Trump. But,…
Another Forest On the Verge of Succumbing to Climate Change
The petro-pimps running this country don’t like to dwell on the collateral casualties of their high-carbon perfidy. These range to Canadians whose health is being permanently harmed by wildfire smoke…