as in global issues generally

An open letter to 0.7%

This got published a while back in the Walrus, but I just noticed that it's also now freely available online. 0.7%, in case, you're not aware is the hallmark figure suggested by Pearson as a target...

WALL-E: a great movie, but oh the irony of a movie about a lot of garbage creating a lot of garbage

I recently had a chance to catch the movie WALL-E, and I must say, it's very good. Still, I couldn't quite shake the irony of a show with (I thought) a fairly implicit environmental message that...

My water consumption versus someone in India...

As of 2007, residents of Vancouver, on average used 295 litres of water per day (Per capita water consumption number is 542 litres per day factoring in non-residential water use). (link) After...

Carbon Offsets in the World of Flying: A Big Picture - What would it take exactly? How's about a f

To offset flights out of North America in 2007, you'd need to plant a forest the size of Oregon. In this summer's issue of the Walrus, there's a great piece by UBC'er, David Beers, called...

Say it with me: "It is always wiser to side with an overwhelming expert consensus than with a celeb

I think this statement should be obvious, and for that reason alone, we've included it in the SCQ's list of truths. This, by the way, is a web experiment run by the Quarterly. The background can...

Things that are unlucky (or lucky?): Carbon tax game on when gas prices high.

So, there's been much argument lately in my neck of the woods, over the BC's new carbon tax. This is coming online in a few days (July 1st), and will be responsible (amongst many other things) for...

Say it with me: "It is always wiser to side with an overwhelming expert consensus than with a celebr

I think this statement should be obvious, and for that reason alone, we've included it in the SCQ's list of truths. This, by the way, is a web experiment run by the Quarterly. The background can...

What is the Ecological Footprint of Disneyland?

Having just returned from a visit to the magic kingdom, the above was a question that continually haunted my consciousness. Disneyland was remarkably pristine in that cookie cutter, artificial, yet...

If you could host your own version of a TEDtalks at your institution, what exactly would you do? Lo

A couple months back, I wrote a grant for one of my main educational projects (Terry), that would ask for funding to host a student conference here at the University of British Columbia (UBC). ...

Paul Collier and the Bottom Billion (a.k.a. no nonsense global poverty solutions).

About a month ago, I was lucky enough to partake in a speaker event, where noted economist Paul Collier gave a great talk. Who is Paul Collier? Two titles to throw at you: Professor of...