Kyrke Gaudreau

In Review: Squabbling Munks

13 April, 2011 | Kyrke Gaudreau

The Munk Debates: Volume One, Rudyard Griffiths, ed., Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2010, 400 pages.

What do you call four adults viciously attacking one another in front of a sold-out audience screaming for blood? No, this is not the next generation of ultimate fighting. This is debating, Munk style.

The Munk Debates consists of tran- scripts of the first five debates hosted by the Aurea Foundation. According to its benefactor, businessman Peter Munk, the purpose of the debates is to "create a forum that attracts the best minds and debaters to address some of the most important international issues of our time." …

Published in: EcoBooks 37.3

In Review: The Biofuel Delusion

21 October, 2010 | Kyrke Gaudreau

The Biofuel Delusion: The Fallacy of Large Scale Agro-Biofuels Production, Mario Giampietro and Kozo Mayumi, London, UK: Earthscan, 2009, 336 pages.

Reviewed by Kyrke Gaudreau.

Many people believe that growing our fuel will improve energy security and independence, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote rural development. The Biofuel Delusion contends that such perceived advantages are quite simply not the case.

Published in: Biodiversity 36.6

In Review: Bursting Bubbles

6 April, 2010 | Kyrke Gaudreau

Beyond the Bubble: Imagining a New Canadian Economy, James Laxer, Toronto: Between the Lines Press, 2009, 264 pages.

"The neo-liberal system has fallen into pieces and cannot be put together again. Nor should humanity attempt it. It is time to move on to a better future." These are the last words in James Laxer’s Beyond the Bubble. The rest of the book fills in the details of what amounts to a very interesting read for economists and non-economists alike. ...

Published in: New Eco Books 36.3

Mending our Fuelish Ways

15 December, 2009 | Kyrke Gaudreau
 “I really don’t see it as a supply issue; I see it as a destroy-the-planet issue.” Ominous words from Mark Jaccard, an author and renowned energy economist from Simon Fraser University. In the same conversation, Jaccard suggested that the Earth’s atmosphere may one day resemble that of Venus. I’ve always wanted to visit other planets, I think to myself. Perhaps I should settle for having them visit me...
Published in: New Energy 36.1

Biofuel Basics

26 May, 2009 | Kyrke Gaudreau

In recent years, Canada has pumped billions of dollars into its biofuel industry. Most notable have been incentives paid to farmers to grow corn for ethanol production. While Canada now has a nascent biofuel industry with more and more plants opening across the country, little thought has been given to the ecological consequences of a shift from petroleum to bioenergy fuels. Instead, the discussion has centred on food-versus-fuel and climate change. While these issues are important, by focusing on them too closely, one risks missing the proverbial forest.

Designed by Frank Leng     Social networking icons designed by Rogie King of Komodo Media
This website is best viewed in the latest version of Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Internet Explorer.