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By: Jaime Clifton, Research Curator

There is no denying the complexities of the messy, wicked problems we are currently facing. Climate change threatens 1.3 billion people and $158 trillion in US assets. There are $2 trillion in fossil fuel assets that fail the 2-degree stress test.

Home is more than a suburban house, a city apartment, or a log cabin in the woods. It is our refuge, our foundation. It is built from the soil covering the ground, the trees lining our forests, the coral reefs populating our ocean, and the starry sky enclosing us above. It gives us comfort and it shelters our families. If we don’t take care of our home, it cannot take care of us.

The now decommissioned Eastview landfill site in Guelph, Ontario, spans 45 hectares of degraded landscape. It’s hard to tell that this place is home to mountains of waste since its transformation into a vibrant pollinator garden and community park.

By: Jaime Clifton, Research Curator

The G7 nations have put forth a landmark pledge to end oil and gas subsidies by 2025. At the summit in Japan, they declared that these types of subsidies were “inefficient”, and since commodity prices continue to fall, subsidies are as well. The updated pledge builds on plans put forth in 2009, which until now, were lacking a concrete timeline.

Canada’s status as an “energy superpower” is under threat because the global dominance of fossil fuels could decrease faster than previously believed, according to a draft report produced by Policy Horizons Canada, a federal government think-tank. Driving this  very real future are two trends—renewables will become cheaper than fossil fuels and faster than anticipated and electric cars are now becoming fully competitive.

Life starts with flowers. They are the foundation of our food chain. They nourish our fruit, grains, and potatoes. They are also worshipped for their picturesque beauty and their aromatic scent.

By: Jaime Clifton, Research Curator

Over the last few years, concerned citizens in several countries have undertaken a unique strategy by suing their governments for failing to take action to mitigate climate change. A recent case in Oregon includes 21 young litigants represented by a legal nonprofit.