Global climate change caused by our fossil fuel emissions is forcing us to assess many aspects of our behaviour. Flying is a particularly sensitive example because we have become accustomed to hopping on an airplane and dashing off at 700 or 800 kilometres per hour to some foreign country for the taste of another culture, for a change of scenery, for a family gathering, for an exotic adventure, or for a routine business deal. Not only are we destroying the uniqueness of the place that we came to experience by homogenizing the entire planet—the source of Yogi Berra’s oxymoronic comment that, “Nobody goes there any more. It’s too crowded.”—but flying happens to be the single most polluting activity over which any single individual has control. This is because flying is a choice. So the subject of flying and its contribution to the 37.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2023, although uncomfortable, deserves some consideration.
Continue reading The Quadra Project – The Carbon Cost of FlyingCategory Archives: Technology
Planned price increases; dismantling FAC’s – Changes Coming To BC Ferries
As some of you may have already heard, BC Ferries is going through changes. They range from a total revamp of the way they have been engaging with the public, to expenses that probably won’t effect fares until 2028.
Let’s start with finances. BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez recently informed the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce the cost to build ferries has risen 40% since 2020. Speaking as a customer, my immediate thought was this sounds like there is a fare hike coming.
Jeff Groot, BC Ferries Executive Director in charge of communications, responded “I think that’s a fair reaction. There’s a couple of things that we’re experiencing right now.”
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BC Ferries CEO speaks to Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce about navigating through growing pains
By Sidney Coles, Capital Daily, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A sense of optimism and ambition marked BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez’s update to members of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce and other regional stakeholders on Tuesday morning. It also served as a report card and warning that expensive changes and subsequent fare increases are definitely on the horizon.
By 2028, a 30% fare increase will be necessary just to stay at its current levels of service, he said. The increase represents a necessary shift in BC Ferries’ priorities around fleet and infrastructure upgrades.
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Using AI For Good with Daniel Lindenberger
Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U – On November 15, 2024, host Manda Aufoch’s Gillespie was joined by AI researcher and community organizer Daniel Lindenberger, to lead a conversation about artificial intelligence. Along with the students of the Cortes Island Academy and some community members, we explored the potential of AI in various tasks, including data structuring, summarizing, and generating business ideas, while acknowledging its limitations and potential risks. The conversation ended with discussions on the environmental impact of AI, the potential of AI for positive change, and the importance of considering the economic consequences of AI for artists.
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First Nations pitch Indigenous-led LNG to the world at COP29
By Matteo Cimellaro, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Leaders of Coastal First Nations are on the ground in Azerbaijan to line up Asian buyers for their Indigenous-led gas exports from LNG facilities under development in British Columbia.
It’s crunch time for the First Nation Climate Initiative (FNCI), the pro-LNG (liquefied natural gas) First Nation coalition that pitches the fossil fuel’s role in the world’s decarbonization efforts. For the long-term viability of Indigenous-led LNG, the organization needs to find export partners in Asia or the projects are at risk. The delegation has arrived in Azerbaijan at a time when the world is on the cusp of 1.5 C, and yet fossil fuel combustion continues to rise.
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