The Great Transition – Which Future Are We Living In?
The Great Transition scenarios, detailed in the 2022 Great Transition essay, stand the test of time. All six are alive and well, not as scenarios but as realities. In the two Conventional World scenarios, market forces still determine almost everything, regardless of... Read more
Why can’t we use the ‘F’ words?
Courtesy of the Times Colonist Photo: Young activists lobby world leaders at the COP27 United Nations Climate Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, this month. NARIMAN EL-MOFTY, AP Although I intended to continue my examination of Earth For All, the astounding hypocrisy... Read more
Ecological sanity and social justice — we can’t have one without the other
More than 40 years ago, in my major paper for my master’s degree, I sought to identify the fundamental principles underlying public health. I concluded there are two: ecological sanity and social justice. The pursuit of these principles has defined much of my work to create a healthier society ever since.
Read more
Canada must stop digging a deeper climate-crisis hole
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last month the world is in “a life-or-death struggle” for survival as “climate chaos gallops ahead,” while the World Health Organization calls climate change “the single biggest health threat facing humanity.”
Read more
COP27: The good, the bad, and what you can do
What is COP27? COP27 is the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference aka the Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, the 27th COP conference since 1994 The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is a treaty through which signing nations agreed to... Read more
As UN climate summit begins, not much good news, but room for hope
One of the five great turnarounds proposed in the recent Earth For All report to the Club of Rome is the energy turnaround. So with COP27 — the annual UN conference on climate change — opening in Egypt, this is a good time to look at this issue.
Read more
More Houses Built Faster Act
See what can go wrong when housing supply efforts aren’t viewed through the critical lenses of affordability, tree and watershed protection and tenant rights. “Roughly 50 people gathered outside a Progressive Conservative constituency office in Hamilton on... Read more
Petition to Withdraw the District of Saanich from Development Lobby Membership
If you are a resident of Saanich, please sign the petition to make Saanich Withdraw its membership from the UDICR Development Lobby. This is of key importance in placing the interests of residents above that of industry in determining our future.
Read more
The F-Word
Your grocery bills are skyrocketing. Your favourite restaurant put up a sign warning of increased menu prices. You’re dipping into your savings to make ends meet. This is the reality of the cost of living crisis facing Canadians. But not so for fossil fuel executives... Read more
Vote for Climate Champions
With the municipal elections just around the corner – October 15th – those of you on Southern Vancouver Island that may not as yet have completed your selection of Mayoral or Council candidates (let alone those for school and park boards) may find the following... Read more
With Housing As Key Election Issue, Here Are My Picks for Mayor and Council
With so many candidates running and so many vacancies on Council, I’ve been asked many times over the last month for “my list” – who will I be supporting in the upcoming election. Having completed our final Council meeting last night, I now feel free to make my... Read more
Missing Middle Initiative and Voting
I wish there were simple answers to some of the big issues Victoria is facing re: affordable housing, density, as well as crises like drug overdoses and doctor shortages. Here are some deeper dives into housing affordability, as that’s my main focus this... Read more
Will the Missing Middle Squeeze Victoria’s Trees?
This article, written by Community Trees Matter Network co-founder Grace Golightly, was recently published in Focus and speaks to what’s at stake with Victoria’s urban trees and livability.... Read more
The October 15th Local Elections
2022 Local Government Elections – Climate Champions Registration Are you a climate champion who is running for council, school board or regional government? We are here to support you, and connect you with a climate group in your municipality. Use this form to... Read more
Local Climate Solutions Papers
On October 15th, candidates from all across BC will be elected to local councils, school districts, and regional districts. The urgency of the climate crisis is such that we need to elect a majority of climate champions on every council, in every regional district,... Read more
Urge the UBCM to Support the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty – Write today, no delay!
On Thursday, September 15th the Union of BC Municipalities will vote on whether to ask the Province of BC to enact a GHG emissions cap for natural gas utilities, and support the objectives of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. A strong YES vote would be a... Read more
Don’t blame Victoria for other governments’ failures
There is a concept in health promotion called victim-blaming — blaming smokers for their habit, for example, when in reality they are the victims of a sophisticated marketing campaign. The same concept applies to the tendency by many to blame the City of Victoria for problems such as homelessness, mental health and addictions problems, park camping and crime and violence.
Read more
The world is not ending, but humanity has a problem
Even the human species is probably not at risk, although we should remember that, over time, pretty much all species become extinct. But we are a highly adaptable and tough species, able to survive and indeed usually thrive in habitats as diverse as the Arctic, equatorial jungles, deserts and high altitudes.
Read more
For a livable region, we must minimize building waste and energy consumption
In North America, we spend on average 90 per cent of our time indoors. So the design and operation of the immediate built environment where we spend the vast majority of our time is of great importance for our wellbeing.
Read more
Rebuttal: Urgent news for Victoria tree lovers – missing middle housing
I’m a bit concerned about the recent missing middle article posted on Creatively United. It frames the proposed missing middle policy as an attack on trees and there are several reasons this is factually untrue. The missing middle policy has a max 40% site... Read more
Urgent news for Victoria tree lovers
Dear friends of the urban forest, This Thursday, August 4th, Victoria city council is holding a public hearing about the proposed “Missing Middle” zoning change. This unprecedented change could mean a massive loss of city trees — yet with no... Read more
Social-housing crisis stems from 1993 federal cuts
This week, I will begin to explore our “Five Big Ideas” in more detail, from the perspective of human wellbeing and its achievement within the Earth’s ecological boundaries. These ideas are intended to provide a balanced and holistic perspective and be implemented together. We want to create a city-region that…
Read more
Public health plays key role in urban planning
In November 2021, the City of Ottawa completed the process of revising its official plan. My attention was drawn to Ottawa’s plan through a recent news posting by the Canadian Public Health Association, which focused on the role of public health in the development of the new plan.
Read more
Let’s stop calling people ‘bums’ or ‘undesirables’
I have had it with letters to the editor that seem to be trying harder and harder to be nastier and nastier about people who are, for whatever reason, down on their luck and living on the street. Too often, recently, I have seen references to such people as “bums,” or worse, “undesirables.”
Read more
The Dirty Truth About Combustion Engine Vehicles
This excellent video answers a lot of questions when it comes to choosing battery powered vehicles. Please watch and share widely. Watch on Vimeo here Shareable link: https://vimeo.com/519585463 Read moreWe are falling behind in a world going backwards
We have missed other important environmental goals. An independent scientific report prepared for the recent Stockholm+50 conference examined progress across a range of environmental goals agreed since 1972, and found that “typically only one-tenth of targets show significant progress or can be considered achieved.”
Read more
Conventional economic growth is unsustainable
Rising concern about the impact of humanity on the environment led to the first UN conference on the environment in 1972. However, the issue of sustainability itself was barely touched on at the conference, with only one mention in the 80-page conference report. Nonetheless, publications prepared for the conference, such as Only One Earth and The Limits to Growth, as well as the conference itself, led to a much-heightened awareness of the challenges we faced.
Read more
We’re All In This Together… Now What? – Season 4 Finale
We’re All in This Together… Now What?, the final webinar of Creatively United’s Climate and Artists fourth season, explores how we can collectively reduce our carbon footprint by 40% by 2030 and transformatively shift to healthier…
Read more
Calling all members of LandlordBC
Please write to LandlordBC to voice your concerns about them promoting Fortis and RNG as a solution for new and existing homes at their virtual event on June 15th. LandlordBC has a good reputation and we would not like to see it have its name sullied by promoting this... Read moreThe Loss of the Middle Class – Interview with Thomas Homer-Dixon
Are we moving to a wholly elitist society, where the poverty line will expand out to absorb those who were considered the “middle class?”
Read more
Upzoning Proposal by City Threatens Democracy – Petition
Victoria Mayor, Lisa Helps, wants to force a vote (May 12th.) on an initiative that will seriously impact housing for homeowners and renters in Victoria long into the future. Crucially, it will involve upzoning residential areas of Victoria to allow development of up... Read more
MP National Day of Action to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies
MPs from across most of the political parties have come together to organize a National Day of Action to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies on Tuesday, May 3rd. For context, MP Laurel Collins introduced a study on fossil fuel subsidies at the Environment Committee and wants to... Read more
B.C. government’s LNG infatuation makes it dangerously radical
B.C. likes to claim it has a wonderful, world-leading climate action plan. So it is perhaps surprising that the Sierra Club B.C. announced in February that it is taking the B.C. government to court “for failing to present plans to achieve several key climate targets, as required by its own climate change legislation.”
Read more
Amplifying Youth Voices in the Fight Against Climate Change
The 10 year anniversary of Creatively United for the Planet’s first Earth Day event was celebrated with an incredible panel of youth voices that featured five young Canadian changemakers working in creative ways to help amplify youth voices…
Read more
Speeding development of non-profit housing is good for health
Housing is fundamental to health. That should not be a surprise, especially in a country with Canada’s climate. The health impacts of being homeless or living in poor-quality housing are well understood, and must be obvious to anyone. But it is not just homelessness that is a concern — there is a much larger problem of affordability. Lack of affordable housing can markedly affect people’s physical, mental and social wellbeing.
Read more
Communities’ Transition Pathways
Iron & Earth hosted a community conversation in Hinton, Alberta, in January 2022, as part of the Green Resilience Project on the topic of climate change, income security, and community. Participants discussed how the climate increasingly affects their community,... Read moreHousing That Heals The Future – Creative Solutions for a New World
Housing That Heals the Future features nine inspiring interviews on a wide range of projects that are charting the future towards healthier, happier communities. This information rich webinar also includes the incredible new six-minute film, The Animal Forest Campaign... Read more
Exploiting the Ukrainian Crisis
There needs to be a strong counter-argument against the lobby of the oil and gas industry to increase Canada’s production of fossil fuels in response to the Ukrainian crisis. Biden has already promised that the U.S. will send more oil and gas to Europe. Trudeau needs... Read more
Housing Requires a Balanced Approach
The “build it and they will come” approach is in line with conventional economic thinking: that more tax income will fund affordable housing and the homeless crisis. It’s overlooked that the current approach to development results in related infrastructure and services consuming the increased property tax revenue.
Read more
Shell’s Massive Carbon Capture Plant Is Emitting More Than It’s Capturing
Many fossil fuel companies are championing carbon capture technology as a way to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 in order to continue producing fossil fuels for the market. The federal government has committed to placing a cap on carbon emissions from the oil and... Read more
Open Letter to Ban Fossil-Fuel Promotion in Schools
The negative effects of fossil fuel extraction and use seriously impact human health and the environment. The Canadian Association of Physicians (CAPE) invites the public to sign an open letter calling on the BC Government to ban fossil-fuel promotion in schools. CAPE... Read moreCoasts, Rivers and Communities
Learn how communities around the world are developing new solutions to mitigate risks by working with nature. Water is the essence of life. Rivers are the arteries of life. Coasts are the gateway to the oceans. All three ecosystems are threatened by the climate crisis — more severe droughts…
Read moreTransforming Communities Creatively Through Regeneration
Season 4 of Climate and Artists free webinar series premiered with positively uplifting and inspiring stories from eight fabulous guests committed to regenerating and transforming communities creatively. Learn how…
Read more
Denying net zero is ‘simply not on’
Courtesy of the Times Colonist Photo: A flare stack lights the sky from a refinery in Edmonton. The pathway to net zero is tough, but doable, argues Trevor Hancock, and brings many social, economic, ecological and health co-benefits, as reports from the... Read more
We Need To Build ‘Gentle Infills’ for Affordable, Healthy Neighbourhoods
Courtesy of the Times Colonist Photo: Garden suites like this one under construction in Victoria in 2014 are considered “gentle infill,” along with row houses, townhouses, duplexes and secondary suites in homes, writes Trevor Hancock. ADRIAN LAM, TIMES... Read more
Salt Spring Island 5G Vote July 27th
The Saltspring Trust will be voting on the Rogers 5G-enabled cell tower proposed for Channel Ridge, Tuesday, July 27. So far, the Trust has received 227 letters opposed to this tower, 72 in favour. We have one last opportunity to ask them to make a decision that truly... Read more
The Difference Between Social, Supportive and Affordable Housing
From time to time, fierce debates erupt over proposals to introduce more dense housing into residential neighbourhoods. I suspect that part of the problem is a failure to distinguish between housing that is affordable, social housing and supportive housing, as well as a related concern about loss of property values.
Read more
Socio-economic Conditions for Satisfying Human Needs at Low Energy Use: An International Analysis of Social Provisioning
I’m pleased to announce that we have just published a new article in Global Environmental Change, entitled “Socio-economic conditions for satisfying human needs at low energy use: An international analysis of social provisioning”. In the article, which was led by my... Read more