Why it matters
Have we reached The Tipping Point?
15th March 2011
The fate of Alberta’s tar sands may be a turning point for civilization
The Syncrude upgrader and tailings pond in the Boreal forest north of Fort McMurray. Photo Credit: Jiri Rezac, courtesy of Greenpeace.
It should be an easy story to tell: the world’s biggest industrial project, the richest oil companies in the world, the largest toxic quagmires ever formed, and the denial of any link to cancer deaths nearby. Destruction and death, power and wealth, wrapped up in a government conspiracy — plus aerial shots of an unprecedented man-made moonscape so sublime they border on beautiful.
But director Niobe Thompson’s documentary Tipping Point: The End of Oil has taken on more than the standard hand-wringing anti-big-business stance of other non-fiction features about the Alberta tar sands. in environmental contexts, the phrase “tipping point” usually refers to ecological thresholds beyond which there is no return — such as (…) read more
Why it matters
“Peasants cool the planet”
8th December 2010
“A lot of NGOs who talk about climate change are only thinking about polar bears and trees – they are not familiar with how people’s lives are impacted. This is something that is, unfortunately, often missing from the broader environmental movement.”
Why it matters
A new kind of prosperity
26th October 2010
A conversation with renegage renegade environmental economist Tim Jackson.
Why it matters
Workers of the world, relax
1st September 2010
Some people work to live, others live to work. But the logic of growth means we produce more stuff with more efficient technology and less labour. So why not share those productivity gains in the form of less work?
Why it matters
What’s the point?
24th August 2010
“I don’t really see the connection between environmental reporting and celebrating science”
Why it matters
Everyone needs a holiday
24th July 2010
Time for a vacation – and to ponder how incredible it is that you are reading these words at all.
Why it matters
Happy Canada Day
7th July 2010
Happy Canada Day (with an extra five days thrown in for editing). I would add that there are many things to be proud of, as a Canadian. The festivities in (…)
Why it matters
Simple ways to shrink your splashprint
24th May 2010
Eat fresher food, cut back on chemical junk, and hone culinary skills. What’s not to like?
Why it matters
You water what you eat
7th May 2010
You might be surprised to learn how much water it takes to make what you eat every day
Why it matters
“I’ll die doing this”
22nd April 2010
Indigenous people in Alberta, Canada, are becoming ill as a result of tar sands pollution. They share their stories of cancer, cover-ups and courage.
Why it matters
Shareholders vote on BP’s plan to move into Canadian oil sands
16th April 2010
Resolution called for oil giant to reevaluate the business risks