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Pre-industrial fires were much worse than today’s, but media ignore them to get scarier headlines

By Tristan Hopper, National Post, July 10, 2023

More of Canada has burned this year than in any other year on record, and it’s not particularly close.

According to the most recent figures from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, nine million hectares of forest have already burned. That shatters the previous record of 7.8 million hectares set in 1989, and is more than four times the annual average of Canadian forest burned between 1959 and 2015. These stats are all the more remarkable given that the season is only about half over. … Read more

Despite 30 years of aggressive international climate mitigation efforts, global carbon dioxide emissions have continued to rise whereas adaptation efforts have shown considerable success.

By Ross McKitrick, Macdonald-Laurier Institute, July 6, 2023

Discussion of climate policy is overwhelmingly focused on options for mitigation, or emission reduction, with relatively little attention paid to options for and benefits of adaptation.

Proponents of climate policy have long resisted discussing adaptation perhaps out of fear that it might be effective: if through adaptation we can substantially reduce or even eliminate the negative effects of climate change, this will weaken the case for deep decarbonization and elimination of fossil fuels, which some in the climate movement view as an end in itself.… Read more

Damage from Trudeau’s dogmatic climate policies are a self-inflicted wound

By Gwyn Morgan, C2C Journal, July 5, 2023

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Wildfires in Canada and unseasonably high temperatures in parts of Europe are being blamed on climate change, further escalating the frenzied sense of urgency propounded by governments, activist groups and the mainstream media to “do something” about carbon emissions.

In Canada, it seems no volume of emissions is too small to worry about. B.C. taxpayers, for example, will be paying an estimated $25 million to connect cruise ships docking in Victoria to electric shore power so the ships’ diesel generators can be shut down.… Read more

The promised climate utopia will cost us our prosperity and our freedom, if we allow it

By Paul MacRae, Climate Realists of British Columbia, July 4, 2023

Dr. Trevor Hancock, the first leader of the Canadian Green Party and now a retired professor of public health, has for several years had a regular weekly column in the Victoria Times Colonist promoting what can only be called a bleak vision of the future if we don’t abandon our industrial-technological civilization and return to a more “natural” way of being (smaller communities, less consumption, etc.)

He is, of course, firmly in the Net Zero by 2050 camp when it comes to “climate change” and the headline for his June 25, 2023, column is “Climate action needs a greater sense of urgency.”… Read more

Popular protests force politicians to change course

By Climate Realists of British Columbia, July 3, 2023

In what should be a serious warning to Canada, the consensus in the United Kingdom and the European Union around “Net Zero” carbon emissions is falling apart as the soaring costs of the disastrous new energy policies begin to bite.   

Rapidly rising energy prices, flowing largely from these policies, are feeding inflation, and beginning to impact on living standards. The results is increasing public criticism of the so-called “Green” energy initiatives, in some cases to street protests, and to growing political dissent, including the emergence of new political parties opposed to the new climate-related policies.  … Read more

Climate predictions are speculation about the future backed not by real-world data but by mathematical models. No wonder they wildly over-predict warming

By Kenneth P. Green, Fraser Institute, 2023

Much of our understanding of anthropogenic climate change, and much of the debate over climate science and climate policy, is based on mathematical computer modeling. Rarely, if ever, do we see much discussion of empirical measurements of climate change; global average temperature and sea level are rare exceptions.

But empirical measurements of climate-policy impacts, empirical measurements of changes that might or might not validate the modeled climate projections, or empirical measurement of meteorological (weather) changes, are scarce to non-existent in most media.… Read more

By Ron Davison, President, Friends of Science, June 19, 2023

Dear Friends of Science,

We need your help.

The political/financial assault on our children’s and grandchildren’s future is kicking into high gear at a time when “the science” behind Catastrophic Anthropogenic Global Warming (CAGW) alarmism is literally falling apart. Of course, that statement is being kind.

“The science” was never sound, since there is no empirical CO₂/Temperature dataset that shows CO₂ driving the climate on any statistically significant historical time scale. Remember, empirical data is a basic requirement of the Scientific Method. That important point not withstanding, recent developments (outlined below) have shown the folly of CAGW alarmism.… Read more

While climate change makes fires more likely, it’s poor forestry management that makes them more destructive

By Tristan Hopper, July 24, 2021, National Post

With more than 300 active fires and thousands under evacuation orders, B.C. is currently on the fast track to the most destructive wildfire season in its history.

Although the fires have become an emblem around the world of the destructive effects of climate change, many of the province’s forestry experts are pointing out that while climate change makes fires more likely, it’s poor forestry management that is helping to make them more destructive.

“Even if we were able to turn back the dial on climate change we would still have wildfires that are severe and would burn people’s houses down,” said Jesse Zeman, director of fish and wildlife restoration with the B.C.… Read more

Smith could blow up her UCP government in two minutes by sounding even faintly like federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault

By Don Braid, National Post, June 12, 2023

Danielle Smith, a very talkative premier, refuses to utter two little words: Climate change.

After her cabinet was sworn in last Friday, Smith was asked by columnist Graham Thomson: “Do you accept that climate change is driving the larger wildfire seasons, not just here but across the country?”

Smith answered that human activity causes most fires. She went on to talk about federal policies and Alberta’s agreement with achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.… Read more

Better forest management, not curbs on carbon, would reduce fire risk

By Kenneth P. Green,  National Post, June 9, 2023

Unless you’ve been living in an underground cave, you’re aware that there’s been a massive explosion of forest-fire activity across Canada that’s sending clouds of smoke south to our American neighbours. Not surprisingly, they’re not happy — the orange skies are more than a bit reminiscent of Hollywood post-apocalyptic movies.   

Here at home, our usual opportunistic climate alarmists including Prime Minister Trudeau, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and the irrepressible Elizabeth May blame the flames on climate change (and not their leadership in Canadian forest policy).… Read more