Environmental movements have roots that stretch back through the years, with tactics like “chaining” oneself to a tree even making their way into popular comedy television shows like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Regrettably, in these instances, the intent is often to satirize activists for comedic effect. It’s important to acknowledge, however, that there are many people who participate in acts of civil disobedience with seriousness, even at great personal risk to their physical and mental well-being. They hold the belief that typical methods have proven ineffective and can be seen as a ineffective investment of…

Media Link: https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/metro-vancouver-lost-6-stanley-parks-of-natural-habitat-in-a-decade The recent report by the Vancouver Sun highlighting Metro Vancouver’s loss of six Stanley Parks’ worth of natural habitat between 2009 and 2020 is alarming, not just for the residents of Vancouver but also for environmentalists worldwide [1]. This significant loss of 250 square kilometres of natural ecosystems has been primarily attributed to logging, agriculture, and urban development. From a personal perspective, witnessing such rapid loss of natural habitat in an era where the detrimental effects of climate change are becoming increasingly visible is deeply concerning. This not only jeopardizes the delicate balance of the environment but…

Exercise #4: Documentary Reflection The article talked about worsening wildfires in B.C. (my home province) and what’s causing them. It’s clear that how we manage forests, burning, and especially climate change all has been contributing factors. The article said that overall climate change is a big part of why the wildfires are worsening. This is supported by forests/areas that usually didn’t suffer wildfires in the past are now having to manage large fires due it’s hotter and drier climate from the changing temperatures. I agree with the experts who say climate change is the largest contributing factor for worsen wildfires…

The Fairy Creek Blockade is an ongoing act of civil disobedience, protesting the logging of old-growth forest on Vancouver Island, BC. This protest, blocking logging roads to stop Teal-Jones personnel from performing any logging activities in the Pacheedaht territory, has been ongoing since August 2020. In June 2021 the Pacheedaht, Ditidaht and Huu-ay-aht First Nations submitted a request to the Province for a two-year deferral of the old-growth logging, which was subsequently accepted and led to Teal-Jones halting its operations in the area. This deferral was extended by another two years in June 2023.  In the summer of 2021, RCMP…

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-clean-climate-plan-2018-1.4933083   This article reports on the major climate change plan released in British Columbia in 2018. This plan aimed to reduce BC’s GHG emissions by requiring all new buildings to be net-zero and all new cars to be zero emissions by 2040. Alongside these ambitious goals, officials announced that incentives would be proposed for large industries to reduce emissions. With the LNG project moving forward, the government at the time said it would cut provincial sales tax from building costs for the project, since the project would be overall beneficial to GHG reductions. While these announcements seem fantastic at…