Myriad threats and declines evident in the Kawarthas, too Living in a country as big and relatively unpopulated as Canada, it might come as a surprise that much of our wildlife is in serious decline. This was made abundantly clear last week when World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF) released its Read more…
Now that summer has officially arrived, I would like to look ahead at some of the events in nature that we can expect over the next three months. The actual timing of events is directly affected by temperature, rainfall, and day length. While these environmental factors obviously change throughout the Read more…
As we turn the corner into spring, let’s pause a moment to reflect back on the winter that’s been. For many people, the temperate weather was a blessing, with only moderate snowfall and temperatures well above average. Yes, the abnormally mild winter did make life easier for most of us. Read more…
As much as news reports of dying sequoia trees in California, disappearing seabird colonies in Iceland, and lifeless coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean are disturbing, these impacts of climate change are still far-removed from our everyday experience. We, of course, don’t live in these far-flung places; we live in Read more…
When I turned on CBC radio Monday morning, the first thing I heard was that the price of gasoline in London had dropped to less than 85 cents a litre. A quick check on ontariogasprices.com showed Costco in Peterborough selling gas at 86.9 cents. The near-universal reaction seems to be Read more…
When it comes to climate change, the main take-away is that it is real. That being said, efforts by climate change deniers (at least one of whom regularly submits letters to this paper) to convince people that the science on human-caused climate change is far from settled have been quite Read more…
Canada is one of the safest, healthiest and best-educated countries in the world. This has not come about by accident. A long-standing commitment to making decisions based on evidence, not politics, has gone a long way to helping to build our prosperity. In recent years, however, the federal government has Read more…
Running is an odd activity. To non-enthusiasts, it is a mix of monotony and self-inflicted pain. Yet, in Canada, many adults list running as their favourite participation sport – more than soccer, softball, hunting, fishing, aerobics, or tennis. Strange pleasures, it seems, are found on the trails and treadmills of Read more…
It’s mid-May 2035, and I’ve just boarded a bus outside the new downtown condominium complex where my wife and I now live. It’s never more than a 10-minute wait for comfortable, clean and convenient public transit. On this particular morning, I’m heading up to Jackson Park, which is always Read more…
“The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson, American astrophysicist and science communicator This year’s unprecedented forest fires in the Northwest Territories, flooding in the southern prairies, drought in California and warmest May and June on record for Read more…
Regular readers of this column probably know that I consider climate change to be the biggest threat facing the natural world and civilization as we know it. Despite repeated warnings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that Earth is barreling straight into climate disaster – just a month Read more…
Last Sunday, my wife and I went for a long walk, finally able to enjoy some sunshine and warm temperatures. As usual, however, I couldn’t help noticing that there were no kids playing outside. Why not? Well, partly because many parents consider it too risky to let their children play Read more…
By just about any measure, we have had a crazy winter, and not just in eastern North America. With near-record drought in California, unprecedented floods in England and unparalleled warmth in Alaska, it has been a winter of frightening extremes. Dr. Jennifer Francis, a climatologist at Rutgers University in New Read more…
Three contentious issues This week, I’d like to provide news up-dates and personal thoughts on three contentious issues that should be of interest to anyone who cares about the natural world and, in the case of climate change, the future of this planet as we know it. Read more…
Regal butterflies rare in the Kawarthas as climate change, pesticide effects take hold Click here to view column
Local chapter of 4RG (For Our Grandchildren) gets start with climate seminar Click here to view column
Click to view column