An Outside Chance

edge effects

PHOTO POST Storm surges, snow squalls, frozen rain, creeks on the rise, ice jams, gale force winds, soft waves of slush – February’s weather has been, shall we say, entertaining. Here’s a small selection of pictures from the past week. What colour is ice, you might ask? After a fierce storm on Lake Ontario … Read More

Of hope, grief, and humility

A review of Dahr Jamail’s The End of Ice Also published at Resilience.org If you’re looking for hope in Dahr Jamail’s new book The End Of Ice, the recommendation that Dr. Harold Wanless gives for Miami is about the closest you’ll find: “Sea level rise is going to accelerate faster than the models, and it’s … Read More

vortex

PHOTO POST The Polar Vortex which just gave us an old-fashioned hint of arctic weather may not have been everyone’s cup of tea. But for anyone out sightseeing on the shore of Lake Ontario this weather has been hard to beat. Top photo: Vortex – January 30 … Read More

Beyond computational thinking – a ‘cloud of unknowing’ for the 21st century

Also published at Resilience.org If people are to make wise decisions in our heavily technological world, is it essential that they learn how to code? For author and artist James Bridle, that is analogous to asking whether it is essential that people be taught plumbing skills. Of course we want and need people who know … Read More

rivers of light

PHOTO POST Just when winter temperatures drop the farthest, the sun shines its brightest and snow floats across open space like liquid light. But the current cold snap, like many before it, was preceded by a squall. The geese settled on the marsh to wait out the wind. When the storm was over there … Read More

january’s window

PHOTO POST When a cold dry wind blows in from the north, bright colours come out to play on the lakeshore. Even in the snowless meadows the early morning light finds seed heads aglow. Water flash-frozen in a ditch coats leaves and preserves a remnant of summer’s green. Not every day so far this … Read More

searchlight

PHOTO POST Have we ever had an autumn and early winter with so little sunlight? Perhaps, but with so many gray days and so little snow, one has to look a little harder for a glimpse of colour and glow while exploring the waterfront this season. When the sun pokes out along the beach for … Read More

The clean green pipeline machine – a free-market fairy tale

A review of Donald Gutstein’s The Big Stall Also published at Resilience.org In late 2016 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was ready to spell out his government’s “Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change”. His pitch to Canadians went along these lines: We recognize that climate change is a serious challenge and that we … Read More

Quantifying climate hypocrisy – the Canada file

Also published at Resilience.org Which nation shows greater hypocrisy in the struggle to limit climate change – the United States or Canada? The US President, of course, misses no opportunity to dismiss scientific consensus, downplay the dangers of climate change, and promote fossil fuel use. Canada’s Prime Minister, on the other hand, has been consistent … Read More

A tale of three cities – cycling in Valencia, Paris and London

Also published at Resilience.org Efforts to promote cycling are gathering steam in many cities for a wide variety of reasons. Campaigns may fly the banners of carbon emissions reductions, reducing air pollution for immediate health reasons, promotion of active lifestyles to combat obesity, creation of safer streets for non-auto-driving residents as a social justice issue, … Read More