Ole Hendrickson

Is climate change as bad as we thought? It's worse.

rabble staff — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 12:52:37 +0000

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Dianne Saxe, the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO), has just released her 2016 climate report. Chapter 1 is a brilliant summary of the science behind climate change, with a focus on how it will impact Ontario. Saxe pulls no punches. Her report contains a graphic asking, "Is it as bad as we thought?" The answer: "It's worse."

For some time, there have been rumblings in the scientific community that politicians, the media and reports issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are understating the degree to which the Earth is in trouble from climate change.

Even as president-elect Donald Trump appoints his climate change-denying senior advisers, scientists report that runaway climate change is already happening.

Science bears out Muskrat Falls protesters' demands. Governments should listen.

rabble staff — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 19:54:17 +0000

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Protesters, led by representatives of Indigenous groups, have seized control of the site of the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project in Labrador. They have also come to Ottawa. On Sunday, Inuk artist Billy Gauthier, who was on the 10th day of a hunger strike, joined other hunger strikers, Inuit elders and supporters at a demonstration at the Human Rights Monument.

Protesters at Muskrat Falls are demanding that Nalcor Energy clear away vegetation and the surface soil layer from the area to be flooded in order to reduce poisoning by methyl mercury.

Why is Canada opposing global efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons?

rabble staff — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 12:58:13 +0000

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Activists at last month's World Social Forum (WSF) in Montreal gathered to assess progress in ridding the world of nuclear weapons.

There are no signs that the government will rethink its position on nuclear disarmament before the UN General Assembly, which will likely vote on launching negotiations on a nuclear weapons treaty.

Active transportation is a big part of the climate change solution

rabble staff — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 21:56:10 +0000

Thursday, July 21, 2016

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One of the most important things individuals can do to combat climate change is to use alternatives to cars for frequent, shorter trips. Let's weigh the benefits and risks of active transportation.

Fort McMurray fire brings climate refugees to Canada

rabble staff — Wed, 25 May 2016 14:12:40 +0000

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

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Canada is only one of many countries dealing with climate refugees. South Pacific island nations are steadily being inundated by rising seas and India is seeing record-breaking heat waves.

Protecting Eastern hemlock, our next endangered tree species

rabble staff — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 15:19:56 +0000

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

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In spring and summer 2002, entomologists first collected a small, bright green beetle from ash trees in the Windsor-Detroit area. None had ever seen this insect before. Two months passed before a taxonomist in Slovakia identified it as Agrilus planipennis, an Asian member of the family Buprestidae. This family has about 15,000 species, with brightly coloured adults ("jewel beetles") and larvae that bore through stems, leaves, roots and logs.

Eastern hemlock trees may be next to fall victim to an invasive alien species with the spread of the hemlock woolly adelgid. But we may still have a few years to prepare for its arrival.

To 'Leap' or to sleep? That is the question.

rabble staff — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 12:58:30 +0000

Thursday, April 14, 2016

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Why is talk of not building new pipelines and leaving fossil fuels in the ground now so divisive? We've made our commitment at the Paris climate talks -- now let's honour it.

Monarch butterflies face substantial risk of extinction

rabble staff — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 20:43:18 +0000

Thursday, April 7, 2016

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Preventing monarch extinction will require active intervention by humans on a variety of fronts. It's an opportunity for those of us who believe that abundant nature enhances the quality of our lives.

Canadian NHL teams reach new heights of improbability

rabble staff — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 12:16:32 +0000

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

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Given hockey's quasi-official status as Canada's national sport, the poor performance of Canada's NHL teams is generating a lot of discussion. U.S. President Obama kidded Prime Minister Trudeau about this during the latter's recent visit to Washington.

Given hockey's quasi-official status as Canada's national sport, the poor performance of Canada's NHL teams is generating discussion. And when probabilities get this low, statisticians get interested.

How a deferred decision on waste disposal could affect the future of nuclear power in Ontario

rabble staff — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 22:56:47 +0000

Thursday, March 3, 2016

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Ontario Power Generation's proposal to bury radioactive waste on the shores of Lake Huron has hit a roadblock, and it may create space for consideration of Ontario's commitment to nuclear power.

Taking dietary action to stop climate change

rabble staff — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 14:12:22 +0000

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

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The Bible is full of references to domesticated animals. Camels, goats, sheep, asses abound; the good shepherd tends his flocks; and so forth. In the book of Genesis, Cain, the tiller of the soil, and Abel, the livestock producer, bring their respective offerings to God. But God rejects Cain's vegetables, and Cain then slays his brother Abel.

Today's vegans and vegetarians are increasingly making positive connections between food and the environment. Can eating less meat help limit damage to the planet?

Extreme wealth, the plutocrats and Canada

rabble staff — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 00:03:17 +0000

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

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Just ahead of this year's World Economic Forum in Davos, Oxfam issued a stern warning about increasing global economic inequality. And this situation continues to get ever more extreme.

Medicated meat: Canada fails to prevent overuse of antibiotics

rabble staff — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 22:32:16 +0000

Thursday, January 21, 2016

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Health professionals have been sounding the alarm about the upswing in antibiotic-resistant, disease-causing bacteria for many years. They have recommended much tighter control on sales and use of antibiotics, to ensure that antibiotics remain effective for treating pneumonia, wound infections, post-surgical infections, sexually-transmitted diseases and other medical conditions.

Canada continues to lag behind other nations in imposing effective controls on imports and use of antibiotics in the livestock sector, even as antimicrobial resistance continues to grow.

Choosing a green future: Notes from the renewables transition

rabble staff — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 21:32:22 +0000

Thursday, December 10, 2015

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With solar panels going up our roof on an unseasonably warm December day, and world leaders at the Paris climate summit, it seems appropriate to make a few observations about the transition to a 100 per cent renewable world.

The renewables transition is shaking up existing power structures and meeting fierce resistance. It can happen -- but only if citizens have access to information and choose wisely among the options.

The Carp and the Snake: A tale of two wetlands

rabble staff — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 19:25:57 +0000

Thursday, December 3, 2015

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Canada is wet.

Indigenous peoples used lakes and rivers as their primary means of transportation. European newcomers quickly adapted, finding the canoe vastly superior to their old-world watercraft. Both pursued aquatic mammals -- beaver, otter, mink and muskrat -- fuelling the fur trade.

Longstanding drainage practices have resulted in the majority of southern Ontario's wetlands being drained. What are the risks and benefits? Consider the tale of the Carp and the Snake Rivers.