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
Mar 6, 2012
Well that’s just what Vancouver’s Deputy City Manager, Sadhu Johnston, has set out to do in our city. Sadhu was recently invited to speak at the monthly Carbon Talks Brown Bag lunch dialogue on the launch of the City’s Greenest City Action Plan. So just how does Sadhu Johnston see a greener city achieving more social justice? I was curious. Vancouver has become a hotbed for controversies around high-rise developments, homelessness and housing unaffordability. More... read more
Feb 23, 2012
I like to think of myself as a conservationist. I don’t drive a car, I eat mostly organic, local food, I try to be cognizant of the “things” I buy and, like many others, I question the rapid development of the oil sands and its impact on climate change, water, nature and First Nations. The perspective of seeing pipelines going through the Great Bear Rainforest, or super tankers plowing through the pristine waters of the Inside Passage makes me shudder. I sympathize... read more
Jan 31, 2012
Elizabeth May (MP, Saanich-Gulf Islands and Green Party of Canada leader) spoke to a sold-out Carbon Talks brown bag session on the future of international climate change diplomacy at SFU last week. You can watch the webcast of this event on our website. May retraced the history of... read more
Dec 22, 2011
News agencies were abuzz this morning with the news that the EU has approved of a carbon tax on all airlines flying in European air-space. Despite objections from several countries, European Cmmissioner responsible for Climate Connie Hedegaard announced today that the "carbon tax policy will be... read more
Dec 22, 2011
As COP17 finally winded down after 2 sleepless nights of negotiation, diplomats seemed very keen on patting each other on the back and self-congratulating for what they dubbed a “historic accord”. Scientists and environmental activists looked on, stunned but somewhat not surprised. 194 countries agreed on a common road-map to renegotiate a global, binding climate accord in 2015, to replace the near-defunct Kyoto Protocol. Some see it as a positive step forward but... read more
Dec 7, 2011
As many observers and participants of the previous COP summits have witnessed, some of the most interesting progress made at these conferences actually happens at the side-events. One of the side-events in Durban that is gaining a lot of attention is the International Emissions Trading... read more
Dec 2, 2011
As foretold by many climate experts, climate negotiations in Durban are being stalled by the lack of engagement of crucial players like the United States and Canada. The Canadian Federal Government has made it very clear that it will not sign-up for a second commitment of the Kyoto protocol, a... read more
Nov 30, 2011
Yesterday, The UN officially announced that Doha, the capital of tiny petro-state Qatar, will be the host of the next COP summit in 2012. Qatar was competing with South Korea. Now how do these two countries compare? On one hand, South Korea has a population of 48.8 million people who emit 10.6... read more
Nov 29, 2011
As I stare out of our windows here at the SFU Harbour Centre, I can see countless cargo ships entering or leaving Burrard Inlet. Living in a port city means being a gateway to maritime routes. Did you know that shipping was actually responsible for 3% of the world’s total carbon emissions? A drop... read more