Archive for Ecology & sustainability

2011 May 19: Powering The Future

Thursday, 2011 May 19, 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Evergreen Brickworks, 550 Bayview Ave

How can cities tackle the energy challenges of the 21st century?

Powering The Future, a lively panel discussion featuring some of Canada’s leading energy experts, will explore these energy concerns, with a special focus on how we can all best respond in our own communities and backyards.

Join moderator and award-winning CBC host Bob McDonald, TREC and Evergreen, as we kick off the Kids’ World of Energy Festival, and be a part of the conversation. Panelists include Tom Rand, Judith Lipp, Mary Pickering, and Elizabeth McDonald.

For more information or to buy tickets, visit Powering The Future.

We are so screwed

International Energy Agency Chief Fatih Birol has stated that the IEA now believes that global crude oil production peaked in 2006.  It’s all downhill from now.  We can expect the kinds of supply discontinuities and price rises that led up to the 2008 economic downturn with regularity from now on.

So what is the US response?  Shoot the messenger.  They have cut funding to their own national energy agency and specifically ordered that agency not to prepare data on oil and gas reserves.  Keep us in the dark, that’s the ticket.  I expect the Harper government to follow suit shortly.     Read more »

Water and leadership

Adriana talks about the importance of water, the environment and strong leadership on these issues.

Sustainability and food

Adriana talks about the importance of local, organic and sustainable food.

Renewable power isn’t just safer than nuclear, it’s cheaper

Nuclear is such a slow and costly climate solution, it actually reduces and retards climate protection.
Amory Lovins

Hear or read the interview with Amory Lovins.

Because I think the biggest threat to our survival comes from climate change, I would reluctantly embrace nuclear power if I thought it could help.  But it’s clear that building more nuclear capacity would be a dangerous diversion of time and money from far more effective approaches.  This is my talk at Climate Change Conference 2010, making that point: