I have definitely had to put my bike away and take the car in response to events like wildfire smoke. I haven’t had to for extreme heat, but extreme heat where I am, while bad, isn’t the same as some other places in the world. But, as we approach summer, and remembering that last year … Continue reading
The environmental and social arguments for decreasing animal based protein intake and increasing plant ones have been around for a while. And surely they have convinced some to make changes in their diets. But what about a health link? If you knew that eating more plant proteins as an adult would help you live longer … Continue reading
My city has an amazing river valley. It offers many recreation trails, treed areas, and open spaces. Even outside of the river valley, many neighbourhoods have access to smaller green spaces. Green space is not evenly distributed with lower socioeconomic status communities often having less access than higher ones, known as the luxury effect. Sadly, … Continue reading
Let’s be honest, we need to implement many different solutions to address climate change. But to do this, we often need more answers. In our current approach, someone has to give a number and that number has to then be budgeted. This is the goal behind research by Wang and colleagues (2024). Many places around … Continue reading
I was supposed to compete in an ice dragon boat festival last winter. Sadly, it was cancelled because of unsafe ice conditions. And according to new research by Culpepper and colleagues (2024) this is going to become more common as we consider quality as well as quantity. In the face of climate change, it seems … Continue reading
I hear it quite frequently in my professional world. People all over want to change the terms related to things like climate change. I’ve been more resistant to change. I appreciated the change from environmentalism to sustainability in my own work because sustainability supports a broader conception that includes social, cultural, and economic concerns. But, … Continue reading
I am (mostly) a weekday vegetarian. It took me a while to make the switch. I knew the harms of raising animals for meat, but I’m not a huge fan of cooking so finding vegetarian recipes was my excuse. During the pandemic, I signed up for a food box and selected the vegetarian option. This … Continue reading
I’m interested in the idea of having heated pathways to support mobility in the winter. I think it could support active transport and increased community accessibility by keeping the paths clearer of snow and ice. But the sustainability of doing this has always been problematic. It generally requires energy use most often through some sort … Continue reading
It is Black History Month, so rather than write my own post, I want to elevate the voices of others. The article “I’m a Black climate expert. Racism derails our efforts to save the planet” was written by marine biologist and policy advisor Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. I just finished reading the anthology, which she is … Continue reading
We are in an unprecedented fire season in 2023. Warming temperatures and drier conditions caused by climate change are a major reason. But wildfires themselves also contribute to climate change creating a reinforcing feedback loop. And, new research indicates that this might be worse than previously thought. It has been well established that black carbon … Continue reading