Fossil fuel era drawing to a close…except in Canada
Adrian Wyld/CP The following is the sequel to an earlier story by Will Dubitsky on the growing green economy and Canada’s failure to take advantage of it. In the first…
Renewables
Transition away from fossil fuels needs to take care of workers
Gas workers in BC’s Horn River Basin (Photo: Damien Gillis) By Karen Cooling, Marc Lee and Shannon Daub The steady stream of bad news from Alberta’s oilpatch is a potent…
Canada, Quebec’s political leaders blind to clean tech revolution
Part 1 of a 2-part story from innovation expert Will Dubitsky on Canada’s missed opportunity to build a prosperous green economy. The ardent defenders of our resource economy are in…
Suzuki: Wind power has come a long way – Wildlife impacts improving, health issues minimal
There’s no free ride when it comes to generating energy. Even the cleanest sources have environmental consequences. Materials for all power-generating facilities have to be obtained and transported, and infrastructure…
Clean-tech is good for the economy and environment
Photo: Associated Press/ Ed Andrieski What’s the fastest-growing sector in Canada’s economy? Given what you hear from politicians and the media, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s the resource industry,…
BC sitting on enough geothermal to power whole province: New maps
Steam rising from the Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Station in Iceland (Photo: Gretar Ívarsson / Wikipedia) By Erin Flegg – republished with permission from desmog.ca At a time when B.C.’s politicians…
China’s war on coal means lots more renewable energy…and fracking
Shale gas is a big component of China’s future energy plans China has declared war on coal and coal consumption is down as a result. But this coal war offers…
Nearly 100% of US car sales could be electric in 15 yrs – the challenge is powering them with clean electricity
An electric smart car in Amsterdam – from the popular car sharing service, Car2go (Wikimedia Commons) There are those who suggest that a migration to a green economy is too…
Canada’s green cities take lead on climate change
Vancouver is Canada’s climate leader (photo: Wendy / flickr) Amid the dire warnings about global warming’s impacts, what’s often overlooked is that actions to reduce or prevent them will lead…
Over half Germany’s energy now comes from solar power
Read this June 19 story from Popular Mechanics on Germany’s steady march toward a renewable energy future. The Common Sense Canadian has been documenting Germany’s green energy success story over…
Elon Musk buys solar company to build large-scale panel factories
SolarCity Chairman founder Elon Musk By Jonathan Fahey, The Associated Press NEW YORK – The energy world is not keeping up with Elon Musk, so he’s trying to take matters…
Obama gets tough on coal plant emissions with 30% reduction goal
President Obama visits Copper Mountain solar plant (Photo: Sempra U.S. Gas & Power) By Dina Cappiello, The Associated Press WASHINGTON – The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday rolled out a…
6 reasons why renewable energy is no joke
Photo: Associated Press/ Ed Andrieski Listen to the rebuttals against opponents of oil pipelines, coal, and fracking and a familiar refrain emerges – it goes something like this: It’s hypocritical…
Phoenix rising: Largest solar power array set to energize 230,000 homes
The Agua Caliente solar power array, near Phoenix, Arizona Read this May 9 syory from Scientific American on the world’s largest solar power array, in Arizona, which is about to…
Green jobs see huge growth globally: Why is Canada missing out?
There are those like Stephen Harper who repeatedly say we must choose between economic development and sustainable development. And there are those who, concerned about the environment and the latest…
David Suzuki: Don’t blow off wind power
I have a cabin on Quadra Island off the British Columbia coast that’s as close to my heart as you can imagine. From my porch you can see clear across…
Nova Scotia and UK team up to study tidal power
The world’s first commercial-scale tidal power generator, in Northern Ireland (Photo courtesy of Siemens) HALIFAX – Nova Scotia and the United Kingdom have agreed to work together on research aimed…
Europe leads the way on building a green economy
The European Union has fast become the global leader on migrating to a green economy, with its Emissions Trading System (cap and trade scheme) in place since 2005. Canada has…
Wind power now Spain’s top source of electricity as GHG’s plummet
Read this inspiring story from The Guardian on Spain’s dramatic increase of renewable energy and consequent 23% decline in energy-related carbon emissions. Remarkable new figures from Spain’s grid operator have…
60 Minutes charged with hit job on cleantech
Read this Jan 6 story from the Huffington Post on the backlash generated by a recent 60 Minutes exposé titled “Cleantech Crash”. A recent “60 Minutes” segment is drawing sharp…