Robb Barnes 🇨🇦

"Unwavering" commitment to a climate target set decades in the future. Polluting gas as a "bridge fuel" to a "clean-energy future." Looks like Burnham has found the Carney climate playbook. The rest of us will pay the costs of climate pollution. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Brazil has a special place in my heart. 🇧🇷 So glad to see this result. Hoping Lula will continue the work on nature and climate leadership with Indigenous communities across this amazing country. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

Leaving aside the devastating health and climate consequences from coal for a second, and assuming we only care about near-term affordability and reliability, doubling down on coal power makes zero sense. So why is Saskatchewan choosing this path? www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

SaskPower has been directed to keep its coal plants running past their regulated retirement dates, until they can be replaced by nuclear SMRs. This coal-to-SMR plan is more expensive and dirtier than competing scenarios that retire coal by 2030 & build new gas + renewables cdhowe.org/publication/...

Canada needs to diversify away from a hostile US and seize the clean energy transition. By aligning with the EU on decarbonization and electrification, we make the strategic move for trade, for resilience and for the environment. corporateknights.com/leadership/a...

Canada talks a good game on the international stage, but we're increasingly derelict on one of the biggest challenges facing humanity. Where is the leadership? The PM and premiers appear to be racing to the bottom on climate action.

Sounds about right, sadly. Satire is hitting different nowadays. www.thebeaverton.com/2026/10/carn...

The world is fast approaching a series of major climate-induced shifts. For those following the developments, keep your eyes on the oceans, which are the main thermoregulators of Earth's climate system.

The world is fast approaching a series of major climate-induced shifts. For those following the developments, keep your eyes on the oceans, which are the main thermoregulators of Earth's climate system.

Here's some free advice to politicians. Yes, oil pipelines are having a moment in terms of public support. But you know what Canadians hate? Publicly subsidizing the oil and gas industry while climate change rampages out of control. www.nationalobserver.com/2026/09/29/n...

This is a major problem: Canadian media aren't connecting the dots on wildfires and climate change. If we want to get serious about tackling wildfires in a heating world, we need to know a major cause: burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. reclimate.ca/what-canadas...

Politicians in Canada are afraid to admit the truth: tackling climate change means phasing out coal, oil + gas. Germany has a plan to do it in 19 years. Does Canada really want to sell the last drop of oil in a world on fire? www.ctvnews.ca/world/articl...

This feels timely. Let's add some nuance to the noise. "The health behaviours with the strongest evidence are often the least exciting: regular movement, enough sleep, not smoking, sustainable eating patterns ... and access to primary care." healthydebate.ca/2026/09/abou...

As the Ontario government doubles down on nuclear refurbishments, we should all be asking ourselves how much the energy context has changed since 1986. Hint: a lot! Do we really want to sink billions into expensive and underperforming nuclear when renewables have never been cheaper?

My latest @newscientist.com cartoon. many more here: www.newscientist.com/author/tom-gauld/

El Niño is entering uncharted territory well before its expected peak. This will provide a glimpse of the climate chaos to come, and a powerful lesson in the urgency of lowering emissions now. Every fraction of a degree matters for lives and livelihoods.

As it turns out, large portions of the Canadian public don't like publicly subsidizing pipelines in 2026 any more than they did when Trudeau bought Trans Mountain in 2018. Politicians should be paying close attention. www.theenergymix.com/solid-majori...

So-called "regenerative agriculture" is a lot of industry spin. Don't buy claims that it can somehow make beef climate-friendly. Grazing cattle is the single largest land-use humans have undertaken, with seismic impacts on climate and the environment drawdown.org/insights/eig...

Bike lanes as woke culture war idols is one of the most unfortunate bits of Trumpism coming out of the Ford government at the moment. Bikes are actually just a healthy way to get around, and one that takes traffic off the road. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

We already knew air pollution damaged mental health, but new research shows it's associated with an increased risk of suicide and suicidal thoughts. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Now for some good news. Trump may be the most accidental environmentalist in history - fallout from the war in Iran has caused global fossil-fuel emissions to fall by around 0.5% in 2026. The world has never been more eager to switch to renewables. www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-glo...

Along with 99% of humanity, I'm hoping the US midterms turn Trump into the lame duck he was always meant to be. The climate crisis hasn't gone away, and urgently needs attention. Canada is now 20 years behind. www.theenergymix.com/canada-is-no...

Retroactively revising a climate assessment to recast worst-case climate scenarios as implausible is peak ostrich territory, even for the Trump administration. www.latimes.com/environment/...

This is damning, and appropriately so. The federal government was one of the last bulwarks for climate action in Canada. Now they're dozing asleep at the wheel. "At the current rate, [Canada] ... will be lucky to hit its 2030 target in 2050." 440megatonnes.ca/insight/net-...

Anyone communicating on climate change has been told to focus on good news stories, or tie in the issue du jour (e.g., affordability) for maximum success. All to the good. But we must also tell the terrifying truth if we expect real change. www.hilltimes.com/2026/09/07/i...

Wow! Un sondage Léger montre que 79 % des Québécois souhaitent obliger les grandes entreprises polluantes à payer pour les dommages climatiques. Merci aux électeurs du Québec d'avoir compris l'urgence de la situation. www.ledevoir.com/actualites/e...

"I believe if the hand of man has caused these difficulties in the ecosystems, then the hand of man should be out there, trying to make an improvement to the problems." www.cbc.ca/news/science...

It's so great to see Nova Scotians embracing the energy transition for what it is: a massive opportunity for the province. www.theenergymix.com/2-3-of-nova-...

Canada is heating up - and is quite literally on fire in some places. Canada's future under a rapidly warming climate will make the floods, heat and fire of recent summers feel like a fond memory. Canada's governments have the tools to act. Now's the time. www.theenergymix.com/calls-for-fa...

When the temperature heats up, so do emergency rooms. As Dr. Courtney Howard points out, "[T]he price of climate change is increased illness, strain on our health care system and health care costs." www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/world/heat-m...

Much of the world has made real progress against air pollution, but climate-fuelled heatwaves and wildfires are leading to disease and premature death. The good news? Clean energy helps tackle air pollution while also stemming the climate crisis. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

For years, China was trotted out as the counterpoint to any argument for climate action. "What about China?," went the refrain. Now that China is leapfrogging the world in renewable energy, we should all take a closer look at what they're doing right.

Behold, as the Eye of Mordor gazes inward upon itself.

Like many boneheaded populist measures, free parking sounds benign on paper but is terrible in practice. Ottawa needs real policy debate in this election, not more red meat for people who want to drive and park downtown. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

An amazing member of ours put together this graphic that really encapsulates perfectly the situation on Bank Street. There is only so much space available, and we must use it as efficiently as possible. Parking isn't that. Please sign up to delegate on March 30th in favour of bus lanes!

‘Doug Ford has waged a Trump-like war on bike lanes. Here’s how Toronto can fight back.’ www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

This is from Environment Canada's new report on climate impacts. This report was quietly released today, with the minister not available for comment. This should be required reading for everyone in Canada. The climate crisis is here. Every action we take matters.

Uruguay, Denmark, Namibia and others are seizing momentum on clean and cheap energy. Canada has some serious catching up to do. - Canada is at 9% (well below the G7 ave. of 19%) - ON is around 10% - BC is around 5% - AB has new rules to restrict renewables (!)

Alberta is again working to undermine renewables. After a ban on new builds, Smith has essentially add a new tax on solar. This damages AB jobs, energy resilience and climate action at a time when so many other places (Europe, China, India) are moving ahead. www.thestar.com/news/canada/...

Once the clear leader in Canada's clean energy transition, Alberta now needs to play catch-up after banning renewables. Canada can't afford the same own-goals as the US on clean energy. It's time to triple renewable energy production in every province.

Perhaps in a fit of masochism, I signed up for Macdonald Laurier Institute's newsletter(s). Their framing of the US-Canadian trade war as a bit of both sides-ism (see below) is absurd and out of touch. Why does the Canadian right think this is a viable messaging approach?

This year, as Canadians reeled from climate impacts and the world reeled from war, Canadian oil executives’ stock holdings increased by over $1 billion. It's time for an excess profits tax on oil and gas. www.desmog.com/2026/08/27/c...

Why is SK doubling down on coal? More coal costs >2x renewables. The upside? There isn't one. Coal is linked to cancer, heart attacks and pregnancy complications. And it turbocharges climate change. There is a better way. SK just needs to take it. www.theenergymix.com/coal-extensi...

26,000,000 Canadians. 930 communities. Just as there are no atheists in foxholes, climate denial becomes impossible in a world on fire. There's still time to act. Phasing out fossil fuels needs to be humanity's primary mission www.theenergymix.com/26m-canadian...

I have no doubt it's extremely hard to be a minister. But those who have gone before have lessons to offer. Here's one from Catherine McKenna: "[The oil + gas industry] made all these promises when I was minister and they broke all of them." corporateknights.com/leadership/c...

If only Ford could stick to dumping on Trump. Unfortunately, he's got lots of power and some very retrograde ideas around congestion (hint: you solve it by removing cars and roads, not bike and bike lanes). He also seems intent on punishing Toronto. www.thestar.com/news/gta/for...

Politicians are once again singing the praises of pipelines, imagining they will us from a vindictive US. But serious analysis says a new pipeline is a very dodgy bet, especially since oil demand is slated to peak before the pipeline gets built. ieefa.org/articles/ass...

Seniors' + faith groups are doing some of the best climate organizing out there. Huge shout out to Seniors’ Climate Witness, who are conducting a cross-Canada caravan to bring home the reality of the climate crisis to Canadians. Learn more here: jwdgyrb.clicks.mlsend.com/tl/cl/eyJ2Ij...

From @politico.com's Ottawa bureau. It couldn't be more obvious: Canada wins the trade war if we bring the pain on energy prices. I'd say it's time to call up Danielle Smith, but she's on vacation in the US right now.