Truth and science versus lies and greed
Owners of social media platforms profit from tidal waves of hate and disinformation. Boy, do they profit. According to Forbes, Facebook’s Zuckerberg is worth C$230 billion, while co-founders Saverin and…
climate change
Climate Misery and Hope
Despair limits future actions, but knowledge is power. We must know and act in order to stave off despair. A depressing thread followed by an uplifting video today: Writer Matthew…
Zombie fires, part 2
The people of British Columbia will soon pay $3 billion a year in carbon tax. Yet actions of governments, fossil fuel producers, financiers, and people holding extreme wealth ensure that…
Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Armine Yalnizyan offers a warning about the spread of the tapeworm economy in which corporate profiteers wriggle their way into public services and…
Have they ever lied to us before? Yes, and they’re lying now
In the 2024 Throne Speech, the government of David Eby claimed that “greenhouse gas emissions are down 5 per cent from six years ago.” The claim is simply untrue. It…
‘Zombie fires’ burning at an alarming rate in British Columbia
If you are a climate change denier, better miss this BBC report. If you are not, feel sad for future generations…
Responding to a super-rich plutocrat
Regular IN-SIGHTS reader Ken Holowanky wrote a letter to the Times Colonist in response to a diatribe by Gwyn Morgan, a man called “Shale Gas Baron” in The Tyee’s headline…
Friday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material to end your week. – Amy Peng et al. examine the profound positive impact of mask mandates in reducing the spread of COVID-19 in Ontario. And Sheena Cruickshank…
Thursday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Rachael Lyle-Thompson discusses how children are happier in countries with social safety nets which reduce the anxiety level around them. And Eric…
Climate Projections and Anticipatory Grief
Media aren’t free to report on it honestly, and politicians won’t act on it. How can we possibly remain optimistic? Matthew Todd wrote about the possibility that the Gulf Stream…
The Motivating Annoyance of Willful Ignorance
I’ve been thinking about my old students today as I read the news. I taught about the Israeli occupation in Palestine for a good 20 years, under the media bias…
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Stephanie Bouchoucha et al. offer a reminder that Australia (like other jurisdictions) needs to do far better in reducing the harm caused…
Monday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Oliver Milman reports on new research showing that shipping, aviation and industry are the three areas where carbon emissions are remaining at their…
Climate concerns in 2024
Across Canada in 2023, wildfires burned 18.5 million hectares (45.7 million acres). That is eight times the 25-year average reported by Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. But fire and resulting…
On Normal and Nihilism
We like to think we’ve returned to normal, but Covid and climate change will become more and more of a challenge to ignore. Biorisk consultant Conor Browne responded to a…
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Anthony Leonardi writes about the reality that COVID-19 is intrinsically more harmful than “ordinary” respiratory viruses due to its continuing effect on the…
Thursday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Mark Poynting reports on the latest data showing that global warming reached the 1.5 C threshold over the past year. And Adrienne…
Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Meghan Bartels interviews Maria Van Kerkhove about the continuing and emerging threats in the fifth year of a pandemic which most of the…
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Cordell Jacks writes about the need for an economic model which evolves beyond the short-term exploitation of people and the planet. And…
Monday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Claude Lavoie examines the problems with the far-too-rarely-questioned assumption that public policy needs to be oriented toward top-end economic growth at the expense…