Archive for Ecology & sustainability

Explaining my introductory postcard: “Phase out carbon emissions as science demands, through retrofits, efficiency and renewable power”     Read more »

Explaining my introductory postcard: “Remove subsidies propping up dying industries and tar sands, and invest the savings in a local, low-energy economy.”     Read more »

I encourage everyone to sign the Kyotoplus petition.  Then go and get your friends all over Canada to sign it, too.

As I’ve become a candidate, I was worried that I couldn’t do more to help the Kyotoplus coalition, which is an extremely vital component in the battle against climate change.  I’ve now started campaigning door-to-door with my new postcard, which I’ll introduce online soon, and I’m carrying the Kyotoplus petition with me and urging every Toronto-Danforth resident to sign on, no matter what party they support.  It’s the least I can do.     Read more »

We thought it was bad enough that Prime Minister Harper planned only to achieve 2% emission reductions by 2020 below 1990 levels while the rest of the Kyoto signatories among developed countries were negotiating in the 25-40% range.  It was worse that a number of environmental organizations, economists, and even the government’s own Environmental Commissioner doubted that Prime Minister Harper’s plans could even achieve his own woefully inadequate goal.  Now Environment Minister Jim Prentice suggests we’re going to scrap any action for a few years.  We’re waiting for Obama, it seems.  Until our neighbours say “Jump!”, it’s apparently too difficult to implement the “Made in Canada” solution that our Prime Minister insisted on.     Read more »

There was more grim news on the impacts of climate change yesterday.  A new study from the Global Humanitarian Forum (GHF), a group headed by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, estimates that climate change now kills 315,000 people annually.  This is an increase from a previous World Health Organization estimate of 150,000 deaths per year.     Read more »