An Outside Chance

september’s shine

PHOTO POST “If I were a Hudsonian Godwit, I’d probably take advantage of this chilly north wind and be on my way today,” I said to myself on Sunday morning. After all, the Godwit has a long way to go en route to its wintering grounds in Argentina and Chile. It was presumptuous to think … Read More

Inequality, the climate crisis, and the frequent flier

ALSO PUBLISHED ON RESILIENCE If we are to make rapid progress in reducing carbon emissions, and do so in an equitable way, does everybody need to give up flying? No, not at all – because most people don’t fly anyway, and have never flown. And among those privileged enough to fly, only a small minority fly … Read More

Losing altitude

Travel as if every place matters. ALSO PUBLISHED ON RESILIENCE In my lifetime a curious habit has taken hold among a small minority of the earth’s residents. For this elite group the ability to get to nearly anywhere else on earth within 24 hours, give or take a few, has come to be regarded as … Read More

Right-sizing delivery vehicles

Cargo bikes can replace far heavier vehicles for a substantial share of urban deliveries. But should you buy a cargo bike for personal use? Probably not. ALSO PUBLISHED ON RESILIENCE.ORG In North America we think in extreme terms when it comes to last-mile freight delivery. Whether the cargo is a couple of bags of groceries, … Read More

All the king’s horses

ALSO PUBLISHED ON RESILIENCE When was the last time one of your relatives bought so many victuals they needed a team of a hundred horses to haul the load back from the market? Perhaps it was that time your great uncle Napoleon was preparing for his not-so-great trip to Moscow. Or perhaps your great great … Read More

night moves

PHOTO POST The days grow shorter but marsh birds grow bolder. With nesting finished and fledglings close to adult size, both the parents and the juveniles are easier to spot in that short interlude between the brightness of afternoon and the deepening dusk. Black-crowned Night Herons lurk at the edges of the cattails, but their … Read More

Hypermobility hits the wall

Also published on Resilience Imagine a luxurious civilization in which every person has a motorized travel allowance of 4000 kilometers every year, with unused amounts one year carried forward to allow more distant journeys, perhaps every few years. Imagine also that non-motorized travel is not tallied in this quota, so that a person who makes … Read More

Essential services

Also published on Resilience When you live in a petrostate like Canada or the US, and someone publicly floats the idea that we should begin to limit fossil fuel use by stopping a specific pipeline or levying a small carbon tax, you can expect someone to respond with the statement “Well, we can’t quit fossil … Read More

“Getting to zero” is a lousy goal

Also published on Resilience In an alternate reality, gradually moving toward a zero-carbon-emission economy and arriving there in two or three decades would be a laudable accomplishment. In an alternate reality – for example, the reality that might result from turning the clock back to 1975 – a twenty-five year process of eliminating all … Read More

attention to scale

PHOTO POST It’s a great idea – but does it scale? “Warm-blooded flying dinosaur” is not only a time-tested concept, but one that works at a wide range of scales. This post stars the tiniest bird in our neighbourhood – but a distant relative a thousand times as big also makes an appearance. If we expand … Read More

as big as life

PHOTO POST On a bright day in July it’s hard to go a more than a few fathoms in any direction without coming across some arresting sight. Just off the front step, a web of spider silk has caught the rain over a cluster of sedums. At the end of the lawn, Black Mud-Dauber Wasps … Read More

Segregation, block by block

Also published on Resilience Is the purpose of zoning to ensure that towns and cities develop according to a rational plan? Does zoning protect the natural environment? Does zoning help promote affordable housing? Does zoning protect residents from the air pollution, noise pollution and dangers from industrial complexes or busy highways? To begin to answer … Read More