Tag Archives: Canada

Politics

The United States and Canada continue to decline in terms of Global Competitiveness

Scandinavia continues to dominate the Global Competitiveness Index, with Finland, Sweden, and Denmark placing first, second, and third out of 192 nations in 2025. The rest of Europe follows closely behind. Japan, ranked #19, is the only non-European country in the top 20. The United States has fallen from #3 in 2016, the last year of Barack Obama’s presidency, to #42 under President Donald Trump in 2025. During the same timeframe, Canada has dropped from #15 to #30.

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Cost of Climate Change

International Court of Justice Issues Landmark Climate Opinion

“The Court hopes that its conclusions will allow the law to inform and guide social and political action to address the ongoing climate crisis.” – ICJ Advisory Opinion, para. 456

In a historic and unanimous ruling, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has issued its Advisory Opinion on the legal responsibilities of nation states to address climate change. This decision, requested by the United Nations General Assembly in 2023, clarifies for the first time what international law demands of countries and what legal consequences may follow if they fail to act.

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Environment

The West Coast’s tidal swamps are supercharged carbon sinks

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A collaborative cross-border study digging into forested tidal swamps in the Pacific Northwest has determined these ecosystems are carbon storage superheroes. 

Found upstream from coastal estuaries and shorelines, but still subject to the flux of ocean tides, the woody wetlands feature a tangle of shrubs, grasses and trees, like willows and Sitka spruce, that can trap about nine million tonnes of organic carbon per hectare — the equivalent to the amount of carbon burned by two million gas-powered cars every year. 

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Indigenous Nations, Tourism

Klahoose Wilderness Resort: Tourism as a Vehicle for Reconciliation and Culture

The Klahoose Wilderness Resort’s second full season is over.

“We’re only open from May to the middle of October,” explained Chris Tait, the Tourism Manager. 

As he reflected on this past season, one word that kept coming up is reconciliation. 

“It’s 100% owned by the Klahoose First Nation. From the beginning, as we built the resort, that was front and center. We wanted all of our experiences at the Klahoose Wilderness Resort to  reflect the traditions, reflect the culture. Part of that is a reconciliation piece, bringing people into the Klahoose territory. Making sure we have Klahoose First Nation guides leading those guests, whether they’re going on a boat tour  through Toba Inlet – which is my background – or sharing their culture at the Klahoose Wilderness Resort.”

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Industry

Canada under pressure to ban deep-sea mining as global ocean summit starts in Vancouver

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Canada is under increasing pressure to declare a moratorium on seabed mining just as federal leaders are set to host an international marine conservation summit. 

More than 700 international scientists and a multitude of environmental organizations are calling on Canada to ban the search for deep-sea minerals in its own waters and show global leadership by joining a chorus of countries, such as France, Germany, Chile and Pacific Island nations, in calling for a mining ban in shared international waters. The country will host the fifth International Marine Protected Area Congress (IMPAC5) starting Friday in Vancouver.

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