Future Energy

McKenna and Dion

McKenna says Canada is Back

The 90-day countdown is almost on for Trudeau to meet his election promise of developing new emissions targets post-COP21. The day before the UN climate negotiations’ official start, Ministers Catherine McKenna and Stéphane Dion (Environment and Climate Change and Foreign Affairs, respectively) addressed press on Canada’s contributions and goals for […]

Industrial Pollution

Canada and the Kyoto Protocol

From its ratification in 2002 to Canada’s eventual withdrawal from the agreement in 2011, the Kyoto Protocol has caused many debates, disagreements and discussion for the country and its citizens. In December, Canada is expected to sign on to a new climate agreement at COP21 in Paris. Is there anything […]

UW COP21 Students

The Students of COP21

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 […]

COP20

Why You Can Only Sometimes Trust a COP

As you’ve surely heard, COP21 will be taking place soon in Paris, like a high-speed electric train of acronyms. Oh, the acronyms. The UNFCCC – that’s the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – sure does love its acronyms. COP, by the by, stands for Conference of the Parties, […]

Hillp26crop

Local Heroics

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 […]

Grass flag Canada

Repairing Reputations

After 10 years of neglecting environmental policy, the Canadian government needs to do a lot more than just show up to COP21 in order to begin repairing Canadian’s reputation on the world stage, according to Green Party leader Elizabeth May. “We’re hated,” May said about Canada’s status with COP delegates […]