Linking the pandemic recovery to remedying the loss of global biodiversity

by Stan Hirst Back in September 2020 most of us were most likely a little preoccupied with incessant hand-washing, face-mask adjustment, standing in line for dwindling supplies of beer and toilet paper, and general hand-wringing over news of the cancelled Grey Cup. All reasonable excuses for having missed the column in the national press which… Continue reading Linking the pandemic recovery to remedying the loss of global biodiversity

Lobsters, Legacies and Legalities in the 21st Century

by Bob Worcester The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas with its “doctrine of discovery” declared “non-Christian” lands were fair game for European explorers. By this doctrine Canada was deemed “terra nullius” or “empty land” which when claimed for the Crown gave sovereigns the legal right to occupy, govern, defend and exploit that land. In the long sad history… Continue reading Lobsters, Legacies and Legalities in the 21st Century

A tale of a trillion trees

by Stan Hirst A fine alliterative title, but it presents a problem in visioning. Just what does a trillion trees actually look like? What size area would, or could they cover? The story starts with Kenyan Wangari Maathai (1940-2011) who, while serving in the National Council of Women in 1976, introduced the idea of community-based… Continue reading A tale of a trillion trees

If we want to solve complex social and environmental problems we need to think in terms of systems

by Leyla Acaroglu  — Condensed with permission from “Problem Solving Desperately Needs Systems Thinking,” originally published at Medium June 26, 2018. Most of us are taught, from a young age, that in order to solve a problem, we simply need to break it down to its core components and solve for x. We learn science… Continue reading If we want to solve complex social and environmental problems we need to think in terms of systems

Why E O Wilson is wrong about how to save the Earth

by Bram Büscher and Robert Fletcher Edward O Wilson is one of the world’s most revered, reviled and referenced conservation biologists. In his new book (and Aeon essay) Half-Earth, he comes out with all guns blazing, proclaiming the terrible fate of biodiversity, the need for radical conservation, and humanity’s centrality in both. His basic message is simple: desperate… Continue reading Why E O Wilson is wrong about how to save the Earth

It’s wrongheaded to protect nature with human-style rights

by Anna Grear How can the law account for the value of complex, nonhuman entities such as rivers, lakes, forests and ecosystems? At a time of runaway climate change, when the Earth’s biosphere is on the brink of collapse and species extinctions are accelerating, this has become a vital question. Some theorists argue that there’s… Continue reading It’s wrongheaded to protect nature with human-style rights

The New Wild

The New Wild by Fred Pearce Beacon Press  | 2015 | 245 pages What do Eurasian watermilfoil, Scotch broom, cheatgrass, knapweed, purple loosestrife and hawkweed have in common? Easy question, if you live in British Columbia. They are all officially classified as invasive plants in the province, and they cost the province upwards of $140 million annually… Continue reading The New Wild

On enlightenment and orangutans

by Stan Hirst The year 2018 is now history and we are left with memories, unfulfilled intentions and  a lot of unread books.  By one estimate some 400,000 new books hit the market in North America every year, so its little wonder I am a bit behind. For me the ones that call out for… Continue reading On enlightenment and orangutans

THE END IS NIGH

by Stan Hirst It has never been said better than by Carl Sagan in his speech at Cornell University in 1994. “…… you see a dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys… Continue reading THE END IS NIGH

Canada’s environmental performance: cause for concern?

by Stan Hirst During the run-up to the 2015 Canadian federal elections a total of 164,704 respondents reacted to the simple online question “What issue is most important to you in this election?“. The largest proportion of respondents (36%) said “economy”. The next largest proportion (11%) said “environment”. The remaining issues cited were “health” (11%),… Continue reading Canada’s environmental performance: cause for concern?