May 17, 2012
Welcome to the Anthropocence. This is the name of the new geological era that has been defined by scientists at the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program in Sweden. All of human history has taken place so far in the Holocene, which started around 12,000 years ago. Each new geological era is marked by large scale changes in either Earth’s geology or mass extinctions, The Anthropocence has been named for the new largest pressure on Earth’s systems: humans. Humans... read more
May 15, 2012
The following words have been drilled into me over the past two years of economics and environmental policy courses: we need to get serious about taxing the bad and letting the good thrive. In environmental economics, the ‘bads’ are environmental contaminants, all variety of nasty things such as PCBs, mercury, lead and, of course, those dreaded greenhouse gases. The ‘goods’ are products, ideas, and services that have either a positive or zero impact on the... read more
May 11, 2012
I admit it, I don’t look too closely at my electricity bill. It always seemed to me to be an esoteric jumble of rates, charges, definitions, and explanations. As long as the dollar figure didn’t climb too high, it didn’t bother me much. However effort to save electricity translates directly into cost savings, not to mention possible emissions reductions, no matter how small. It’s hard to argue with a virtuous act that also saves me money. A typical electricity... read more
May 8, 2012
I had a conversation with a Canadian friend recently who suggested I shouldn’t really worry about conserving water here in BC because it’s a renewable resource, so it doesn’t matter how much we use. Well technically that’s true, but by that standard so is coal – it’s just that the rate we’re using coal and the rate it regenerates don’t align. This is not yet happening with water supplies in BC, but as an Australian, I can tell you that when it does... read more
May 2, 2012
Some really interesting research was recently published looking at the most effective way to create renewable hybrid systems (solar-hydro, wind-hydro, and solar-wind-hydro). I say it was really interesting firstly because I’m a science nerd, and secondly because the research is being conducted by my brother as part of his PhD! What the paper is looking at is sophisticated weather maps in the state of Victoria, Australia that best determine optimal locations for... read more
May 1, 2012
On Friday 27 April 2012, Carbon Talks hosted a lunchtime dialogue with Canadian economist Robyn Allan on the topic of the Northern Gateway pipeline. Ms. Allan has been vocal in her criticism of reports that make a benefits case for developing the pipeline; she claims that the claimed economic benefits are based on faulty assumptions, and ignore the realities of oil prices and exchange rate fluctuation. If you were unable to attend the event, or participate via webcast, we... read more
Apr 25, 2012
American inventor Charles F. Kettering, head of research at General Motors for 27 years, gave us such thanks-but-no-thanks inventions as leaded gasoline, Freon, and aerial missiles. But along with these gifts to our health and security, he threw in a few choice quotes, including “people are very open-minded about new things – as long as they’re exactly like the old ones”, and “my interest lies in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there.”... read more
Apr 20, 2012
I’ve been a bit down on humanity in the last week or two. Every time I turn around, there’s a new report or talk or version of ‘we’re all going to hell in a hand basket’ and no matter how many times this gets repeated with greater and greater urgency, it seems like none of our country’s power brokers are willing to heed it. Saving the planet all on your own is an impossible task. As a child, I loved the TV series Captain Planet where five different youths... read more
Apr 17, 2012
Did you ever watch the funky little video called the Story of Stuff? Stuff… It clutters our lives, clutters our garbage bins and creates an infinite array of issues for our environment. But here we are: in a time where creating, selling and buying stuff makes our world go round. Living on a... read more
Apr 17, 2012
Economics is a brittle science. Indeed I’m wading into a debate by calling it a science at all, but despite being able to modestly predict and forecast markets, economics has a history of spectacular failure. As human creations that do not exist outside of our own collective consciousness, anybody who would claim to have built a model for infinite, or at least sustained and long-term economic growth, is simply – and I say this with honest respect for the great economists... read more