I appreciate how the Marvel movies are going full Fast and the Furious, just bringing back characters that definitely died or disappeared in a previous film.
Simon Donner
@simondonner.bsky.social
Climate scientist, prof at UBC, writer, speaker, aquatic mammal, dragger of sand into the house.
I too wish that the wildfire smoke spreading across the eastern US and Canada would inspire deep, sustained action to reduce climate-warming emissions. We've been here many times before, mistakenly thinking that "this" will be the event that tips the scale towards action. (1/2)
Let's not fuel this BS again, it is purely about getting attention... the four Republicans or their social media teams probably don't even believe what they are saying. www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
4 Republicans in U.S. Congress accuse Canada of failing to do enough to prevent wildfires | CBC News
Republican members of U.S. Congress are slamming Canada's federal and provincial governments over what they claim is inaction in preventing the wildfires currently spreading smoke and poor air quality...
cbc.ca
As smoke from heatwave-fueled wildfires spreads across eastern US and Canada, the National Academy of Sciences releases a report confirming the link between extreme events and climate change. Coincidence? Yes... but a likely one given the rise in extremes. www.nationalacademies.org/publications...
Attribution of Extreme Weather and Climate Events and Their Impacts 2026
Decades of data and research indicate that human-caused climate change is altering the frequency and intensity of several types of extreme events, such as...
nationalacademies.org
Michael E. Mann@michaelemann.bsky.social · 3w agoMy comments on the new @nationalacademies.org report on climate change & extreme weather attribution. The TLDR statement: If anything, the academy understates the strength of the science linking increasingly extreme weather events to climate change: michaelmann.net/comments-on-...
Appreciate how the U.S. media coverage of the terrible wildfire smoke pretty much always labels the wildfires "Canadian", as if our Parliament met and voted to export smoke to the U.S.
When I resigned from chairing Canada's Net-Zero Advisory Body last December, we had completed an annual report (www.nzab2050.ca/publications...) full of climate policy advice. I recommend reading the introduction to the report, if not the whole report, which remains timely. Here's an excerpt:
Read Alan's post for details on the dangerously warm overnight low temperatures during the July 4th weekend heatwave.
Alan Gerard@wxmanms1.bsky.social · last mo.Yes! I have been emphasizing it! balancedweather.substack.com/p/another-da...
High overnight temperatures are a key fingerprint of human activity on the climate. The planet is warming faster when you are asleep, in part because unlike the sun, greenhouse gases warm the planet 24 hrs a day. Here is the daytime high vs. overnight low temperature trends for Canada since 1948.
When I look at heatwave forecasts, I focus on that overnight low, like the shocking 27 C for NYC. "Tropical nights", when temps stayed above 20 C / 68 F, drove much of the mortality during past European heatwaves, and 2021 Pacific NW heat dome. Inability to cool off overnight is the silent killer.
Record daytime high temperatures and heat indices are getting all the attention in this N American heatwave, as in the recent European heatwave. As big a health risk is the high overnight temperatures; inability to cool off overnight is a primary driver of sickness and death during heatwaves.
Definitely would not have predicted that the only player remaining from the Raptors championship team seven years later would be Kawhi Leonard.
Since the sweltering day 38 years ago that James Hansen sat in front of the US Congress and announced that global warming "is here", we keep making the mistake of thinking this will be the heat wave, the storm, the flood that forces the world to take climate action. (1/3)
Great interview about our Urban Future Walks project! You can register for a free tour here: urbanfuturewalks.com podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/c...
Can a Walk Downtown Change Your Mind on Climate?
Podcast Episode · The Jas Johal Show · June 24 · Bonus · 13m
podcasts.apple.com
The European heatwave is not the new normal. "Normal" is going to keep changing until we stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. The more we emit, the more the planet warms, the more people suffer, that is the basic math of climate change.
A Q&A about our Urban Future Walks project, which involves completely free guided tours of downtown Vancouver news.ubc.ca/2026/06/down... (Register here: urbanfuturewalks.com)
Can a walk through downtown Vancouver change how we think about climate change? - UBC News
UBC researchers are exploring new ways to engage people on climate change through Urban Future Walks, an experience that highlights real-world sustainability solutions in Vancouver through guided, vir...
news.ubc.ca
It is very reminiscent of the 2021 heat dome here in the Pacific Northwest, which started just after the solstice, when there's ~18 hours of daylight in much of British Columbia.
Simon Donner@simondonner.bsky.social · last mo.A key feature of the devastating European heatwave is the timing. Summer heatwaves are most common in late July and early August, as in 2003 when >70,000 people died. This one is right at the summer solstice, which while early, means longer days and less time for the land to cool off overnight.
A key feature of the devastating European heatwave is the timing. Summer heatwaves are most common in late July and early August, as in 2003 when >70,000 people died. This one is right at the summer solstice, which while early, means longer days and less time for the land to cool off overnight.
Check out this new limited podcast from @nationalobserver.com that traces the five stages of grief about our rapidly changing world. In episode 2, I have some blunt things to say about the harms done by clickbait climate doom-ism.
Daniel J. Pierce@danieljpierce.bsky.social · last mo.Episode 2 of our new podcast for @nationalobserver.com is out now on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. EP2 looks at climate denial – the psychology, propaganda and the role of the courts in cutting through the disinformation and forcing governments to act. @simondonner.bsky.social
"You can't be saying these deals are still compatible with net-zero by 2050. They're not. The deal is not compatible with it. Just be honest with Canadians about this." said @simondonner.bsky.social @ubcgeography.bsky.social @ires.ubc.ca www.cbc.ca/news/politic... via @cbcnews.ca
'Be honest with Canadians': Ex-member of top climate body criticizes Alberta pipeline deal | CBC News
A former member of Canada's top climate body said the pipeline deal Canada signed with Alberta is incompatible with Carney government's net-zero target.
cbc.ca
I am testifying before the House of Commons' Environment and Sustainable Development committee on Tues June 9 at 3:30 pm EDT about why I resigned from Canada's Net-Zero Advisory Body. You can watch live, if that's your jam... www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentView...
Notice of Meeting - ENVI (45-1) - No. 43 - House of Commons of Canada
Notice of Meeting - ENVI (45-1) - No. 43 - House of Commons of Canada
ourcommons.ca
The business case for LNG just keeps getting weaker... www.nationalobserver.com/2026/06/03/o...
The business case for LNG just keeps getting weaker
Sorry, haters: Justin Trudeau is still right about the lack of a business case for east coast LNG exports. There might not be very good one for west coast exports, either.
nationalobserver.com
New modelling supports what many have been saying about the Canada-Alberta deal. It is bad emissions math. This may lock Canada into a industrial C pricing system that is far too weak to make up for concessions around a new pipeline, carbon capture, etc. 440megatonnes.ca/insight/cana...
New analysis finds Canada-Alberta MOU leaves emissions largely unchanged
The Canada-Alberta MOU substantially changes how climate policy works in Canada, but does little to improve Canada's long-term emissions ...
440megatonnes.ca
Interesting debate about the limits of pressuring investors on climate change action, which is essentially an argument for strengthening climate policy. www.climatechangenews.com/2026/06/03/i...
Green group closes down, blaming "limits" of shareholder activism
Canadian campaign group Investors for Paris Compliance shut in May, saying efforts to push companies to tackle climate change have become less effective
climatechangenews.com
This is a devastating loss. Dr Raúl Pacheco-Vega, a UBC alumnus and former UBC faculty member, was a warm and engaging human being who put great effort into supporting students and other early career researchers develop their scholarship. Such an authentic person. He will be greatly missed.
harmodio@harmodio.bsky.social · 2mo agoBuen camino, profe Raúl Pacheco Vega. Fuiste y serás siempre el investigador más chido.
Hope for meaningful emissions cuts from industrial pricing now rest heavily on negotiations around tightening the emissions benchmarks and the delivery of "contracts for difference", which encourage companies to act by locking in the future carbon price (regardless of future policy changes). (1/2)
... and there it is. The Canadian gov't has officially cut the rate of increase in the industrial carbon price by 75%, matching the deal with Alberta. Sadly predictable. You let one province weaken a federal policy, and it reverberates nationally. www.canada.ca/en/environme...
... we will look back in 10 years and think, ‘What the hell were we doing?’ grist.org/business/onc...
Once a climate leader, Canada is now doubling down on oil
Mark Carney is counting on Alberta’s oil sands to help him survive Trump’s trade agenda.
grist.org
One of the biggest challenges in climate action is imagining what a better future could actually look like: especially when solutions are so often framed as sacrifices that require loss, instead of opportunities to benefit from. This week's good news and what-to-do takes those on directly!
Would you live in this net-zero community? | Talking Climate with Katharine Hayhoe
Would you live in this net-zero community? by Talking Climate with Katharine Hayhoe on Patreon. Join Talking Climate with Katharine Hayhoe's community for exclusive content and updates.
patreon.com
Thanks to Destination Vancouver for featuring Urban Future Walks! www.destinationvancouver.com/inspirations...
Discover Downtown Vancouver Through University of British Columbia Urban Future Walks | Destination Vancouver
Uncover the latest in urban design and sustainability in Downtown Vancouver with UBC Urban Future Walks. Join in for an insightful guided tour experience.
destinationvancouver.com