As we return from another hot and smoke-filled summer of unnatural disasters, let us admit that we are in our own form of denial. This piece may upset some friends and colleagues, including people I greatly admire. But perhaps it is time to concede that, in the face of an escalating catastrophe, we are stuck in a rinse-and-repeat cycle that is simply not working.
There is a universe in which the so-called “natural” gas industry reinvents itself, gracefully transitioning to alternative forms of genuinely renewable energy, aiding in our shared need to rapidly reduce emissions and supporting worker transition for the future.
Sadly, that does not appear to be the universe in which we live.
As the first municipality in Canada to reverse a bylaw to build clean energy into new homes, Vancouver is no longer a climate leader — it’s a climate laggard
Last week, as Valemount was opening its homes to thousands of evacuees fleeing the Jasper wildfires, Vancouver was slamming the door on climate progress. In a 6-to-5 vote, city council abruptly reversed the city’s long-standing bylaw preventing natural gas heating in new homes.
