Sierra Club Blog Posts
This page shows a collection of all of Sierra Club Canada's blog posts, shown in chronological order. To view the full post, click on its title.
Please permit me…
Submitted by John Bennett on mer, 2013-01-23 12:46
By John Bennett
This week we launched a campaign to convince the Ontario government to NOT end permitting for projects that impact provincially recognized endangered species (Note: if you haven't sent a letter yet please do so today). Not that we support giving anyone a permit to harass, harm or kill endangered species, it’s a defensive measure - the province is proposing replacing permits with voluntary rules developers would be expected to follow. They say it’s a government cost cutting measure.... Read more »
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Astroturf ‘Ethical Oil’ files CRA complaint against Sierra Club Canada Foundation
Submitted by John Bennett on lun, 2012-12-17 23:01
By John Bennett
This time last year I told you about a storm gathering here in Ottawa that threatened to blow Sierra Club and other environmental groups out of existence. At the time I asked you to consider making a donation as it may be the last time you could do so and receive a tax receipt. I would have forgiven you for thinking I was overstating the seriousness of the situation at the time. Unfortunately, much of what I predicted came to pass in 2012.... Read more »
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We're knee deep in the big muddy
Submitted by John Bennett on ven, 2012-12-07 19:12
By John Bennett
I’ve been watching reality TV this week (yes I really was) on CNSC TV (not SCTV, but not dissimilar in some ways), the web channel of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC).... Read more »
Cheerleader-in-Chief
Submitted by John Bennett on jeu, 2012-11-22 15:52
By John Bennett
The Prime Minister took yet another unusual step this week. Instead of wishing both teams “good luck” in this week’s Grey Cup game between the Toronto Argonauts and the Calgary Stampeders, he had to -- in Harper Fashion™ -- choose sides. He chose not to deliver a neutral statement like “may the best team win”, or express hope it’ll be “a good game for the fans”. Instead, he expressed his strong desire to see Calgary beat Toronto.
Pierre Trudeau once turned the Parliament lawn into his own personal practice field just so he could prepare to deliver the Grey Cup’s ceremonial kick-off. But he knew better than to cross that sensitive line and publicly favor one part of the country over another in the big game.... Read more »
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Hindsight is 20/20
Submitted by John Bennett on jeu, 2012-11-15 02:42
By John Bennett
Last week we stepped in it. Rather big. We ran an appreciation promotion after a long-time supporter who operates an outdoor equipment store donated a very expensive made-in-Canada jacket. We were thrilled that we’d be able to give it away to a supporter – a way of saying thank you.
Sierra Club Canada is a not an animal rights organization; we take no position on hunting and trapping. We are a conservation organization and, for strategic reasons, we must work with a broad range of organizations. Sometimes we even work with hunters -- including Canada’s Aboriginal peoples -- in order to achieve our goal of protecting the environment.... Read more »
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Time to leave Fantasy Island; Climate 2.0 is here
Submitted by Paul Beckwith on jeu, 2012-11-15 01:47
By Paul Beckwith (with input from Matthew Ladd)
A few days ago in Ottawa, the temperature reached 21oC. The old record was 18oC and the average high for this time of year is 5oC. This is not a local Ottawa effect or a one-shot anomaly. Weather records that have stood the test of time for over 100 years are dropping like flies everywhere. What is causing this?
Canada’s main meteorological office generates its weather forecasts by running complex analogical weather prediction models (commonly referred to as the “analog method”). In the analog method the existing state of the atmosphere in a particular region is determined, and then compared against a massive database of atmospheric states for the same time and region in previous years. The closest matches of the atmospheric states are identified, and the forecast is basically obtained by examining how those prior systems evolved over time.... Read more »
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Hold on folks… the times they are a-changin’
Submitted by Paul Beckwith on lun, 2012-10-29 14:59
Melting Arctic sea ice aims Frankenstorm Sandy directly at the Big Apple
By Paul Beckwith
Frankenstorm Sandy is a scary beast. A hybridization between a tropical hurricane and a mid-latitude cyclone, her behavior is not natural at all. Moving northward off the east coast, Sandy is turning left toward land instead of right toward the sea. Sandy’s being blocked from moving north by a high pressure area of enormous magnitude, and being sucked west by a low pressure region of very exceptional (and highly unusual) strength. Thus the designation “Frankenstorm”.... Read more »
Thinking Outside the Nuclear Box
Submitted by Gordon Edwards on ven, 2012-10-12 02:58
URGENT: House Speaker blocking emergency debate on the massive Arctic ice melt
Submitted by John Bennett on jeu, 2012-10-04 01:05
Dear Friend,
I'm on the bus writing about what happened in Parliament last Friday. I still can’t get the day out of my mind... Megan Leslie, NDP MP and Deputy Leader, called for an emergency debate in Parliament on the massive and frightening rapid ice melt in the Arctic this past summer.
Megan eloquently pointed out that the Arctic icecap is responsible for moderating the global climate, and without it we’re in a sea of trouble.... Read more »
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You are now entering the nonlinearity zone…
Submitted by Paul Beckwith on ven, 2012-09-28 16:28
By Paul Beckwith
Push something and it moves a little. Push it a little more and it moves a little more. This is called a “linearity” response. But sometimes a little push can lead to something totally unexpected! This is called “nonlinearity” and, contrary to what one might think, nonlinearities are inherent in most systems - like our atmosphere, for example. In fact, abrupt and unexpected change happens at some point in most systems - we even have a saying for such unexpected outcomes: a tipping point.
Until recently, our atmosphere and oceans behaved like linear systems: incremental dumping of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere caused incremental changes, like rising temperatures and predictable rates of ice melt. But things are now changing unexpectedly fast – nonlinearity is kicking in! We only have to look at the rapidly vanishing arctic icecap for astonishing evidence.... Read more »