Global energy demand continues to rise faster than the deployment of renewables, and emissions reached new heights in 2025. The world is consuming more energy than it did in 1990, the baseline from which most nations measure progress toward their energy and climate targets. While only 47% of our energy is now derived from fossil fuels, the world is using more coal, gas and oil than ever before.
Continue reading Humanity consuming more than ever; Increased emissions negate Renewable growthThe ordinary is not ordinary. We become accustomed to it because it is what we experience and do everyday, so it usually evades careful examination and evaluation. The normal is supposed to be normal. And yet, from the perspective of our human history and our planet’s biophysical history, what is happening now is unprecedented in almost every regard. Our knowledge is rising at a rate unparalleled in our past, while our influence on the ecosystems that have kept our planet stable and reliable for our purposes is being transformed by our activity.
Continue reading The Suicidal Ordinary – The Quadra Project
In response to people who do not believe climate change is a real issue—and to those who think we should eliminate all long-distance tourism.
I am in the midst of my third trip across Canada.
We are living in a society that appears to be critically damaging the lives of future generations through a combination of overconsumption and the overproduction of greenhouse gases. This is not just a policy issue—it’s a moral one. I see the signs of global warming all around me—and they are getting worse.
Continue reading Should We Still Travel? Reflections from a Warming CanadaOf the 37.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide we emitted into the atmosphere in 2024 from burning fossil fuels, about half was sequestered by the planet’s oceans, soils, forests and other natural processes. But evidence is suggesting a weakening of this service, some of which is related to heat—and 2024, was the hottest year ever recorded since we were a Homo species inhabiting Earth. Among other factors, photosynthesis—the process that plants use to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into sugars and an oxygen byproduct—begins to slow when temperatures rise too high, until it stops at 45°C. Consequently, certain areas of the planet sequestered absolutely no CO2 in 2023.
“We’re seeing cracks in the resilience of Earth’s systems. We’re seeing massive cracks on land—terrestrial ecosystems are losing their carbon store and uptake capacity, but the oceans are also showing signs of instability,” says Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (“Are Earth’s Carbon Sinks Collapsing?” by Patrick Greenfield, The Guardian Weekly, October 25, 2024). “Nature has so far balanced our abuse. This is coming to an end.” Should this happen, we will be unable to meet any of our climate goals.
Continue reading The Quadra Project: The Sinking of Carbon Sinks
By John Woodside, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
When U.S. President Donald Trump was elected in November, Canadian officials issued a weaker than expected 2035 emission reduction target to account for the new political reality.
In an interview with Canada’s National Observer, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said that after the U.S. election, the government looked at the opportunities and weighed the risks. Competitiveness was top of mind, more so than tariff threat, he said.
Continue reading Canada’s 2035 climate ambition was weakened by the new Trump reality
