Apr 12, 2012
This is part three of a three part series on the use of water in the Alberta oil sands – Part 1, Part 2 Expansion, tailings, what's next? Over the past two weeks, I’ve looked at water usage in the Alberta oil sands. I’ve tried to discover what the water is used for, and how it could be better reused. This week I’m going to try and find some solutions. Last week I went to a lecture that discussed some of the research work that is being done to try and... read more
Apr 10, 2012
Today’s Carbon Talks brown bag lunch dialogue featured Deborah Harford, director of Adaptation to Climate Change Team (ACT) at Simon Fraser University. She spoke on “Win-Win Solutions: Smart Approaches to Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation.” I can’t stop thinking about intersections, those points where interests of two or more parties cross and mingle, resulting in either cooperation and collaboration, or conflict. More and more, science is intersecting with... read more
Apr 4, 2012
These days, Canada seems to be a country of monologues. On complex and multifaceted issues like the environment, or the economy, we are increasingly dividing ourselves along partisan lines, pushing our own agendas, and entirely dismissing any counterarguments, debate, discussion, or dialogue. This week’s federal budget is a dangerously subtle example of this trend. On the subject of environmental reviews – notably the Northern Gateway Pipeline - when the government... read more
Apr 2, 2012
This is part two of a three part series on the use of water in the Alberta oil sands – Part 1, Part 3 Oil sands tailings: most people know about the potential hazard these ponds pose to ducks, but what exactly are they? As mentioned last week they are a combination of water, sand, oil residue and solvents left over from the separation process. The marketing brochures will tell you that 90% of the water used in in situ mining processes is recycled. However,... read more
Mar 28, 2012
The stereotypical image of the environmentalist as someone who is trying to escape society, go back to nature, build a log cabin in the woods to live off the land, and escape the monstrous and oppressively capitalist economic machine is becoming quickly outdated. As a society, some of us are beginning to accept that the neoliberal notion of progress – by some embraced as the most efficient tool for economic growth, and by others condemned as a noose tightening around the... read more
Mar 27, 2012
This is part one of a three part series on the use of water in the Alberta oil sands – Part 2, Part 3 Water use in the oil sands is a controversial topic. It is currently being profiled in the film White Water Black Gold and has been the subject of several environmental reviews and debates. There are several distinct ways that water gets used in the oil sands, which produce differing forms of waste. The most water intensive is the surface bitumen mining, which... read more
Mar 23, 2012
The science fiction genre, in literature and film, has always had a difficult time appealing to a mainstream audience. While much of that is to do with poor writing and a focus on technology rather than art, it is also due to something Samuel Coleridge called suspension of disbelief. This is achieved when the writer involves enough of a human element, and enough universal truth, that the fantastical becomes believable. When the artist fails to achieve suspension of... read more
Mar 21, 2012
For the first few years of my life, I lived in a brick house and as far as I was concerned, all houses were made of brick. When I was six years old, our family moved to a wooden-frame house and I discovered that houses could also be made from wood. Eventually we settled into a modern concrete house, and I slowly began to understand that a house is defined by its function, not how it’s built. However if I suggested that a house could be made out of paper, or a car could be... read more
Mar 16, 2012
My iPhone is dying. Not because I’ve dropped it too many times – I’ve looked after it really well. But because it’s now 2.5 yrs old which is the end of its life span and the phone’s brain is slowly shutting down and working much slower. This makes me both sad and irritated at the same time. Sad because I love my iPhone and everything it’s been able to do for me (seriously, I’m not sure what I did before I had an iPhone) and annoyed because I know it’s not... read more
Mar 16, 2012
Debate over the approval of the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline is continuing to polarize Canadians. However the list of unresolved issues and conflicting information means that I’m not even sure what to believe. Will this project benefit the economy as Enbridge and the Federal Government... read more