Visioning Nanaimo

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Viewpoints

A frequently held – and often mistaken – assumption is that local issues exist only locally and are exclusive to ourselves. More accurately, similar experiences and challenges are also occurring or have occurred elsewhere and have resulted in other perspectives being published and available online. Accessing this material might provide helpful information and contribute to a broader than purely local view.

Similarly, reading one perspective on how a cited article might inform our views on local issues could trigger our own analysis. For this reason, each post begins with my thoughts on why the item found elsewhere could have local relevance. The wish is to provide a context. Because the found article is the viewpoint on which each item rests, each post in “Viewpoints” ends with the link and source information for the cited article, itself.

Items are grouped into five topics that can be accessed through the drop-down menu in this page’s header. Articles frequently appear in more than one sub-category as their topics often overlap. (WordPress also shows all posts in all sub-categories on this page sorted only by date.)

Vancouver considers doing what no North American city has done so far — charging vehicles to use the road

National Observer, August 16, 2021. The main takeaway of this article can be inferred directly from its heading. We now know that human-generated carbon emissions are a major cause of our current climate changes. We also understand that automobile emissions… Continue Reading →

The US city that has raised $100m to climate-proof its buildings

The Guardian. August 19, 2021. Off the top, this article appears to be a simple account of how one man renovated a 150 year old building in Ithaca, NY. But once you get past the initial paragraphs, you find the… Continue Reading →

The urgency to act on climate is surging in Canada

MacLean’s, August 18, 2021. Well, the data are in. Contrary to what sometimes seems to be indifference, “[a]lmost two out of three Canadians believe now is the best time to be ambitious about climate change…” They also have a higher… Continue Reading →

Five climate myths the world can finally retire

The Globe and Mail. August 15, 2021. “About time!” you say? Indeed. A science reporter for the G&M examines the recent report on climate change by the IPPCC and claims a key take away to be: “there is no longer… Continue Reading →

Reforestation hopes threaten global food security, Oxfam warns

The Guardian. August 3, 2021. This article seems particularly relevant to forestry-dependent economies like ours, but it also contains principles that are relevant for everyone. “Everything is connected” seems to be an ecological truism. If we impact one factor in… Continue Reading →

To Save Ourselves, We’ll Need This Very Different Economy

The Tyee, August 10, 2021. In this era of global issues, it can be reassuring to read the views of informed local voices. It can feel like we, ourselves, know what we need to do. BC’s own Bill Rees, now… Continue Reading →

Special Report: Sustainable Cities

National Observer: Summer, 2021. Here is a still unfolding series (with 10 of 13 articles series now published) that is very timely given the recent UN’s IPCC report on climate change. Developed over the past 6 months, the series is… Continue Reading →

Our biggest enemy is no longer climate denial but climate delay

The Guardian. July 30, 2021. If you think this article describes a problem existing elsewhere, somewhere other than Nanaimo (or any particular location, for that matter) you might note the mention of this year’s summer heatwave in BC as evidence… Continue Reading →

Not the mid-life crisis I expected

National Observer, Aug 3, 2021. Don’t be fooled by the title; this is much more than a column about a mid-life crisis. It concerns the rhetorical question around the key factors that impact our lives today. “The knowledge generated in… Continue Reading →

On sustainable development, we’re grasping at straws

Rabble.ca, July 30, 2021. This is a very good piece (and a must-read), which I received this morning from a VN subscriber. It describes what may be the real dilemma and challenge of our times: the conflict between prevailing economic… Continue Reading →

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