Two lost worlds were in the news last week. One was discovered halfway around the world, but the other is right here at home. The first was a never-before examined patch of tropical rainforest deep in the heart of New Guinea. It’s likely one of the most biologically diverse areas on Earth and it shows how little we really know about life on this
planet.
With a new conservative prime minister in office, there’s been plenty of
talk about how much Stephen Harper will try to emulate American-style
policies. We can only hope he doesn’t follow the Bush administration’s
confused and confusing take on science.
On the surface, global warming may seem like a pretty simple process.
Excess “greenhouse” gases trap heat in the atmosphere, making the world
warmer. But that’s not all that happens. Our climate is actually very
complex and intimately connected to life on Earth. Seemingly minor changes
can have profound repercussions.
Vol. 7 No. 13
January 18, 2006
Science Matters
by David Suzuki
The ups and downs of evolution
2005 wasn’t an easy year for evolution, but it was a good one. In the
United States, legislation to promote the teaching of “intelligent design”
in schools as an alternative to evolution was introduced in more than a
dozen states. But the end of the year brought court victories for
evolutionists and evolutionary research was heralded as the “breakthrough
of the year” by the journal Science.
Sustainable development is a popular concept based on the assumption that we know enough to “manage” our natural resources in a way that will enable them to flourish indefinitely. With so many people in the world and a steeply rising demand for consumer products, it?s certainly an enticing idea. But do we really know enough to manage natural resources sustainably?
Written by David Suzuki.
This month I reach my 67th birthday. Yikes. I was wondering where the first three months of 2003 went, but I should be asking what happened to my life! I vividly remember those turbulent months after I reached puberty and lost about half of my IQ. As an individual, I’ve grown wiser since then, but as a species we seem stuck in our teenage years.
Continue reading “We’re stuck in our teenage years – Science Matters”
With natural gas prices skyrocketing this winter, people aren’t just shuddering from the cold – they’re quaking at the thought of coming energy bills. Indeed, Albertans are already demanding that Premier Klein open the coffers again and hand out rebates to help consumers through the tough times.
Continue reading “Real leadership needed to help reduce energy bills”
Most people I talk to today understand that humanity is inflicting harsh damage on the planet’s life support systems of clean air, water, soil and biodiversity. But they feel so insignificant among 6.2 billion people that whatever they do to lighten our impact on nature seems trivial. I am often asked “What can I do?” Well, how about examining our consumption habits. Not long ago, frugality was a virtue but today two thirds of our economy is built on consumption. This didn’t happen by accident.
Have you ever heard of a saiga? Probably not, and if things continue the way they are going, you may not ever see one either. At least, not in the wild.
Continue reading “Demise of Asian antelope should be a warning to us”
Human population has an obvious impact on the health of our environment. Generally, more people consume more resources and leave less habitat for other creatures. But the relationship isn’t simply more people = greater impact. The way we live is also an important factor, so even though our population growth is slowing, our environmental impact continues to rise.
Continue reading “Smaller households can leave bigger footprints”
Democracy is most challenged when faced with a crisis. When times are good, it’s easy to guarantee all kinds of rights and freedoms, but it’s only when times are tough that those guarantees matter. As a third generation Japanese-Canadian who spent three years denied all rights of citizenship and incarcerated in camps with my Canadian-born parents, I feel a special responsibility to remind Canadians of the fragility of democratic ideals.
Round about this time of the year, every year, the federal government hunkers down to prepare the release of its annual budget. And round about this time of year, every year, interest groups across the country fire out “wish lists” on how they would like our government to collect and spend taxpayers’ money.
