Economics

The liability falls where in Alberta?

The Canadian province of Alberta said on May 6, 2021, that it will allow oil sand mining companies to change how their liability will be calculated when oil prices begin to fall. Alberta holds just under $1 billion Canadian dollars ($822.37 million US dollars) in security for oil sands mines. […]

Would you like the Meat or the Veggie Entrée?

I have been vegetarian for practically my whole undergraduate experience [for environmental reasons] and recently the COVID-19 pandemic has forced me to incorporate meat into my diet due to the lack of plant-based food near me. Through research looking into reducing my meat consumption, I have found it may be […]

GREEN MEANS GO… FASTER!

Consumers are often told that we need to start making environmentally friendly choices and adopt a more sustainable lifestyle to save the planet. But saving the planet is a two-way street. Businesses and corporations also need to minimize their environmental footprints and make their products more sustainable for consumers to […]

Wolf Culls: Public Trust or Failed Policy?

Wolves are elusive animals. Occupying public imagination as well as vast terrain, their story has been writ large for centuries through song, ceremony, children’s literature, visual arts, and public policy. But ‘the story’ of wolves is far from singular or straightforward. Their lives continue to unfold in complex ways throughout […]

“Now is the Time”

COVID-19 was first identified on December 30, 2019 and was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. Stringent measures were put in place by world governments to isolate the cases and slow transmission of the virus. These measures and changes to government policy have […]

Why is it Vital to Conserve Rivers?

Water is necessary for humans, but where does that water come from? The world’s rivers have been degraded by humans so drastically that the water security of approximately 5 billion people and the survival of thousands of aquatic species are at risk. Rivers are home to ~0.5% of our freshwater […]

Fool’s Fuel

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. Authors Mario Giampietro and Kozo Mayumi dedicate much of this book to energetics – an […]

Stable De-growth

Former Alberta environment minister Lorne Taylor was reported to have remarked to David Suzuki that without a strong, growing economy, Canadians simply could not afford to protect the environment. Most economists today continue to promote the idea that the wealthier the economy, the more money we will have to reduce […]

TWTF-2

WTF 2020

As the end of 2020 comes to a close (we made it!), I have noticed many have taken the time to reflect on the environmental wins and losses of the year. While some believe the environment has been cast to the side and a forgotten cause, some claim we have […]