The battle lines are drawn—in some cases literally. On one side are those reaping massive profits from fossil fuels, determined to extract and sell as much as possible before the market dries up. On the other are those who see the amazing potential of energy conservation, renewable energy and other innovations to reduce pollution, greenhouse […]
environment
Posted inNews + Opinion
Cogswell energy plan gets cautious go-ahead
An early endorsement has been given by Regional Council to creating a district energy system on the Cogswell Interchange lands slated for redevelopment. Halifax Water plans to use heat from the nearby sewage treatment plant to create enough thermal energy to heat and cool the six acres of mixed-use developable lands HRM will sell off […]
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SCIENCE MATTERS: Marvelous monarchs move Minister McKenna
Federal environment and climate change minister Catherine McKenna had her mind blown recently. Remarkably, it had nothing to do with the political gong show south of the border. McKenna was visiting the hilltop monarch butterfly reserves in rural Mexico. There she saw millions of monarchs clinging to oyamel fir trees in mind-bogglingly dense clusters, surprisingly […]
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SCIENCE MATTERS: Government must do more to address First Nations’ water woes
Neskantaga First Nation in Ontario has had to boil water since 1995. “We’re over 20 years already where our people haven’t been able to get the water they need to drink from their taps or to bathe themselves without getting any rashes,” Neskantaga Chief Wayne Moonias told CBC News in 2015. Their water issues have […]
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SCIENCE MATTERS: Understanding climate change means reading beyond headlines
Seeing terms like “post-truth” and “alternative facts” gain traction in the news convinces me that politicians, media workers and readers could benefit from a refresher course in how science helps us understand the world. Reporting on science is difficult at the best of times. Trying to communicate complex ideas and distill entire studies into eye-catching […]
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SCIENCE MATTERS: Indigenous people are fighting for us all
[Image-1] In the 1990s, the David Suzuki Foundation embarked on a program to develop community economic projects with coastal First Nations. Between 1998 and 2003, my wife and foundation co-founder, Tara Cullis, established relationships with 11 coastal communities from the tip of Vancouver Island to Haida Gwaii and Alaska, visiting each several times. She encountered […]
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SCIENCE MATTERS: We need to work less to live better
[Image-1] Since the 1950s, almost everything about work in the developed world has changed dramatically. Rapid technological advances continue to render many jobs obsolete. Globalization has shifted employment to parts of the world with the lowest costs and standards. Most households have gone from one income-earner to at least two. Women have fully integrated into […]
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Nova Scotia doesn’t have to phase out coal by 2030 (but maybe it should)
[Image-1] Bruce Lourie says Nova Scotia is doing an “exemplary job” when it comes to reducing greenhouse gases—but climate change isn’t the only thing we need to worry about. Lourie is president of the Toronto-based Ivey Foundation and was a guest speaker and one of four panelists discussing Canada’s coal phase-out at a Dalhousie University event on […]
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Scotian Materials has faith in Halifax Regional Council
[Image-1] I am writing to correct the numerous factual errors in the opinion piece submitted by Nick Horne regarding Scotian Materials’ proposed mobile asphalt plant. First, some background, Scotian Materials owns a parcel of land at a remote location north of Highway 103. We have been operating a quarry at this location for the last three […]
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Halifax faces $119-million lawsuit over Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes
[Image-1] Just when you thought the battle over Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes was over… The Annapolis Group gave notice on Tuesday that it will soon begin legal proceedings against the Halifax Regional Municipality, claiming that HRM has “effectively expropriated” its property and in return is seeking $119 million in damages. The lawsuit comes from city council’s […]
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SCIENCE MATTERS: Anthropocentric view ignores crucial connections
[Image-1] For decades, scientists have warned that we’re on a dangerous path. It stems from our delusion that endless growth in population, consumption and the economy is possible and is the very purpose of society. But endless growth is not feasible in a finite biosphere. Growth is not an end but a means. Humans are […]
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SCIENCE MATTERS: It’s time to heed warnings about humanity’s collision course
[Image-1] The longer we delay addressing environmental problems, the more difficult it will be to resolve them. Although we’ve known about climate change and its potential impacts for a long time, and we’re seeing those impacts worsen daily, our political representatives are still approving and promoting fossil fuel infrastructure as if we had all the […]
