PLANET IN PERIL

Alberta's Premier, Rachel Notley, has responded to my proposal to replace all buildings destroyed in the Fort McMurray wildfire with the most energy-efficient ones possible (see letter, below). While her answer to my specific suggestion seems to be a polite "no," she outlines other steps her province is taking to achieve a carbon-free future. Larry  For the background to this story, click here.

NATIONAL OBSERVER Canada’s well-above-average wildfire activity of the past few years can be linked to manmade climate change.  Story here.

It all started when I wrote the letter, immediately below right after the Manitoba election in April. It was published in the Neepawa Banner and Roblin Review. It prompted an angry response in "The Review" from Brian Burtnack, which appears right after that. Then, my own response to Mr. Burtnack.  I've numbered the letters 1,2,3 & 4, putting them in chronological order. Happy reading! Larry ========= -1- Is Manitoba's New Government Already Failing the Environment? (Editorial) Dear Editor, Well, another Manitoba election has come and gone. And we got the change we wanted.  Or did we? To me, it still seems like the goal of “evidence-based” policy-making, often promised by politicians of every stripe, remains as elusive as ever. Take climate change, for example.  Except for the cranks, the pseudo-scientists pimping for Big Oil, those living on the moon or the stupid, the science is now accepted. It’s settled. Our e

NATIONAL OBSERVER The forests around Fort McMurray and the tar sands, the epicentre of Canada’s contribution to fossil fuel extraction and global greenhouse gas production, have been ablaze for many weeks, with a heat and ferocity not seen in living memory. Story here.

WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE Fires are a natural part of many boreal forest ecosystems, but…. Story here.

Greenpeace Canada The damage is almost unimaginable. Story here.

New York Times Scientists say the near-destruction of Fort McMurray last week by a wildfire is the latest indication that the vital boreal forest is at risk from climate change. Story here.

The New Yorker Though it’s tough to pin any particular disaster on climate change, in the case of Fort McMurray the link is pretty compelling. Story here.

CBC News  Climate change means wildfires that are larger, start earlier and last longer. Above - NWT, Canada ’04. USDA Forest Service. Residents from communities across northern B.C. have been forced to flee their homes. More here.

climate progress Burning through over 9.8 million acres — an area roughly the size of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined — the 2015 wildfire season was the most expensive on record. More here.