California’s Central Valley is facing record drought conditions Common Sense Canadian publisher and Fractured Land co-director Damien Gillis will join a UBC Dialogues panel this Wednesday evening titled “Water Worries: What is the state of our most valuable resource?” Moderated by CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe, the discussion will examine the key challenges facing our water
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The Common Sense Canadian: Island communities could run out of water by August
Parksville gold course (BC govt/Flickr) Read this July 9 story from CBC.ca on the dire water situation facing several Vancouver Island communities. A popular B.C. seaside tourist zone is so drought-stricken that it faces the toughest water restrictions in B.C.. City officials say if people continue to water and power wash at the
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: New book asks: Can civilization survive unprecedented climate crisis?
Water scarcity and resulting wars will be a key consequence of the climate crisis The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that human-caused climate change is already responsible for 150,000 deaths annually. If we continue our current trajectories of “business as usual” as our response to climate change, the WHO expects that between
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Canada takes water for granted amid melting snowpacks, glaciers
BC’s Glacier National Park has seen decreasing snowpacks in recent years (Sesivany/Jiri Eischmann/Wikipedia) How long can you go without water? You could probably survive a few weeks without water for cooking. If you stopped washing, the threat to your life might only come from people who can’t stand the smell.
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: California facing 500-year drought, running out of drinking water
Folsom Lake, California (Associated Press) Read this Jan. 30 story from the Huffington Post on the 500-year drought facing California today. California is dry as a bone, and the effects are like something out of an apocalyptic film. Cities are running out of water. Communities are fighting over what little
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Will new Water Act rein in groundwater use for fracking, LNG?
Frack water pit in BC’s Horn River Basin (photo: Damien Gillis) By Anna Novacek – republished from Energy Law BC As the only province in Canada that does not regulate groundwater use, BC has been referred to as the “wild west” of groundwater. Groundwater has and will continue to be relied on
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