Environment and climate change minister Tim Halman says he knows the state of the climate crisis is “at a pivotal moment” and that its effects are already being felt in Nova Scotia. “People will be watching us closely, as they should,” the Progressive Conservative minister said Wednesday. “Nova Scotians want government to take action.” As […]
Climate change
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1,000+ young protesters demand climate action marching in downtown Halifax
Groups of young protesters gathered at Victoria Park around noon today, September 24, for this year’s School Strike for Climate, a movement that started in 2019, with large protests around the world demanding action against climate change. Halifax had its own climate strike in 2019, and the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t stop protesters from a physically […]
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What fighting COVID can teach the world about confronting the climate crisis
In the 18 months since the pandemic began, vaccines were developed and approved for global use, drastic public health measures were implemented and largely followed, and new models for stay-at-home working and learning were developed overnight. Given the global cooperation and concentrated effort that’s been used to combat COVID-19, some doctors and scientists are looking […]
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Greening Nova Scotia’s healthcare system in a COVID-19 world
The grim state of the climate had been in the back of neurosurgeon Sean Christie’s mind for a while, “but as my kids get a bit older and start to ask questions and are much more environmentally conscious than I was at their age, it just kind of hit me: Listen, we have to do […]
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Halifax approves ambitious and unprecedented climate plan
Halifax Regional Council approved a landmark planning document on climate change this week. The opus, HalifACT 2050: Acting on Climate Together is Halifax’s long-term climate action plan that outlines 46 actionable items that HRM can do to get to net zero emissions by 2050. Net zero emissions means for every bad-for-the-environment molecule HRM puts out […]
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David Suzuki: Many crises expose systemic failings
The coronavirus spreading COVID-19 around the globe isn’t the first disease microbe suspected to have jumped from other animals to humans, nor will it be the last. That we know to a large extent why so many diseases are making that leap should help us resolve the problem. Dealing with a swiftly spreading illness with many […]
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Talking climate change basics with Halifax climate scientist Jeffrey Taylor
T he Coast sat down with local climate scientist Jeffrey Taylor to talk the basics of climate change. His key points about what climate change is—and isn’t—all centre around the idea that “for the most part, we’ve all accepted that we as humans have impacted the planet, it’s caused the climate to change,” he says. […]
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A Nova Scotia teen is suing the federal government in the name of the environment
Last month, 15 kids and teenagers filed a lawsuit against the federal government for putting their lives at risk through dangerous climate change. One of them was 15-year- old Ira Reinhart-Smith from Caledonia—almost two hours outside of Halifax, on the way to Kejimkujik National Park. “This is the biggest threat that humanity has ever faced,” says […]
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Harbour rising: Halifax’s harbourfront in 2100, come hell or high water
As the eye of Hurricane Dorian spun around Halifax Harbour like a cocoon, it could have been any other grey day in Nova Scotia—were it not for the building floating in the water in Herring Cove. The large boathouse was home to Thomas Reyno’s three boats, two tubes and 45 years worth of memories. Now […]
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The alarming links between climate, ocean and cryosphere
We’ve been dumping oil, plastic, toxic chemicals, radioactive sludge, sewage and fishing gear into the ocean for decades. We depend on oceans for so much, including half the oxygen that keeps us alive. They’re a source of protein for many people worldwide, and they absorb much of the rising heat from our indiscriminate fossil fuel […]
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How the federal parties are campaigning for the climate
On September 27, the last Friday of the month, 10,000 Haligonians marched through the streets of Halifax calling on politicians to act on climate change. Walking down Spring Garden road there were Haligonians of all ages, from babies to grandparents, channelling their inner Greta and asking for their government to act. The air was electric […]
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Fracked gas heats the planet, but supporters say it’s a solution
The best way to address climate disruption is…burn more fossil fuels? It doesn’t make sense, but that’s what industry, media and governments want us to believe. To profit as much as possible from fossil fuels before markets fall under the weight of climate chaos and better alternatives, industry and its allies tell us fracked gas […]