Canada's Environmental Voice
The last time a major global climate agreement was on the table was at 2009’s COP15 in Copenhagen. The Copenhagen discussions failed to reach the expected agreement and were almost unanimously deemed a failure. The road to Paris, and a second chance at a substantive climate agreement, has not been […]
Climate change is an international, inter-generational and interdisciplinary issue. To help on the inter-generational side, the University of Waterloo is sending a team of six student delegates from diverse academic backgrounds to represent the university at COP21 in Paris, France. Four other UW Students will be attending the negotiations with […]
During four days in early November, I was one of over 200 people collectively sitting in outside Rideau Hall and 24 Sussex to demand Prime Minister Justin Trudeau commit to freezing tar sands expansion, and transition to a clean energy economy. Throughout the recent federal election, I was encouraged by […]
In 1992, Canada joined the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) along with 153 other nations. By 1994 the agreement became official with currently a universal membership with 195 Parties. As a signatory, Canada is part of the Conference of Parties (COP) and annually participates in their sessions […]
With Kyoto’s deadlines looming, Canada faces the likelihood that we will not reach our targets of reducing emissions to six percent below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012. And Canada is not alone. A number of European countries, Japan and New Zealand are realizing that their emissions continue to rise […]
Climate change and its impending effects on our world can no longer be ignored or denied. Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising and species are going extinct. As the impacts of climate change worsen, there is a growing global necessity to come together and combat climate change. COP exists […]
In the Downtown Eastside (DTES) of Vancouver, a community is buzzing. Hives for Humanity is a non-profit organization based in Vancouver. They work to enhance the communities where their bee hives reside in by connecting people to honeybees and native bees, gardens and communities through the creation of opportunities. Their […]
Fourty three is the number of Grey Crowned Cranes that died on the banks of the Luangwa River on August 16, 2015. That is the number of lost biodiversity due to a single incident, nearly 10 percent of the South Luangwa National Park’s Grey Crowned Cranes local population.
The first time I met Justin Trudeau in person was on December 6, 2009. I remember it clearly because I also got arrested. The Copenhagen climate summit was in full swing, and I had joined a group of young climate activists in the last of a series of sit-ins sweeping […]
“What is it about activists that they can’t even be optimistic for one day after a whole decade?” The disgust and disappointment on my 16 year olds’ face is somewhat heartbreaking as he pours cereal the morning after the Canadian election and surfs the comments on my Facebook page. I […]
