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.)

Three Americans create enough carbon emissions to kill one person, study find

The Guardian, July 29, 2021. This article has more to it than a sensationalist headline – and it certainly has that. It details a conclusion drawn by a number of public health studies: “that for every 4,434 metric tons of… Continue Reading →

Private gardens are fine, but public space is better

Capital Daily, July, 27, 2021. A point and counterpoint response to a previous article published by the same eNews outlet. (VN’s analysis/link to the earlier article is here.) In today’s column, the author argues there are greater benefits obtained by… Continue Reading →

Trees make a city cool

Capital Daily. July, 24, 2021. A timely opinion piece in a Victoria, BC eNews publication about the trade-off between an urban tree-canopy and development. If we think even a bit past short-term considerations, we recognize that accepting this trade may… Continue Reading →

A Drought So Dire That a Utah Town Pulled the Plug on Growth

The New York Times, July 20, 2021. For whatever reasons, prevailing western economic models – and those who adhere to them – conveniently ignore the finite supply of natural resources. By omitting this constraint, they treat supplies of clean air,… Continue Reading →

Athens appoints chief heat officer to combat climate crisis

The Guardian, July 23, 2021. The urgent need for local action on current global problems seems to be slowly becoming mainstream. That “Athens has appointed a chief heat officer to protect people from soaring temperatures and .. to adapt the… Continue Reading →

‘Built on trust’: Lheidli T’enneh and Exploration Place model journey of reconciliation

Prince George Citizen. June 21. 2021. Here is an inspiring account of truth and reconciliation, which couldn’t be more timely than right now, and with a remote but personal connection. It’s the story of how the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation… Continue Reading →

Canada is abandoning national unity for ‘managed disunity’

The Washington Post. June 15, 2021. This piece on Canadian disunity by a contributing writer residing in Vancouver and forwarded to me by a VN subscriber near Oxford, England (yes, we’re getting out there!) makes for a somewhat uncomfortable read…. Continue Reading →

‘Potentially the worst drought in 1,200 years’: scientists on the scorching US heatwave

The Guardian. June 18, 2021. If you are anything like me, you will find this piece disturbing. Not necessarily because it’s new or unanticipated information, but more because I feel ethically compelled to read it, and to consider what’s implied… Continue Reading →

Our Response to Climate Change Is Missing Something Big, Scientists Say

New York Times. June 10. 2021. Interconnection has long been a foundational factor of ecological systems, so perhaps the latest report from the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) should come as no surprise. The report’s gist: that… Continue Reading →

Victoria cancels Canada Day broadcast as First Nations mourn residential school deaths

Victoria Times Colonist. June 10, 2021. The last sentence in the news release from the City of Victoria says it all. “[N]ow is a time where the City can take leadership and provide an opportunity for thoughtful reflection and examination… Continue Reading →

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