Once upon a time, liberals (small l) supported social progress and conservatives (small c) supported fiscal responsibility. In 2018, it is the left that supports both of these things, while the right represents short term economic benefits for the few, at the expense of long term deficits for everyone. This is most pronounced in the…
Earth’s population may be maxing out at last
Many of our global social and environmental problems are all tied back to the same root problem: There are simply too many of us for the available space and our consumption of resources is pushing the world toward the breaking point. However, the assumption that the global population will continue to grow exponentially consuming ever…
High levels of immigration are the only way we get to keep Canada, Canadian
Despite Canadians generally positive attitudes toward refugees and immigrants, conservatives continue to try to make it controversial. They try to limit the number of immigrants and refugees admitted to Canada, the types of immigrants we allow, try to frame the debate as if we have to choose between immigration and domestic concerns and sometimes even…
What the Future Holds Part II: Climate, Food and Migration
Back to Part 1 or jump to Part 3 While technological change could well change what it means to be human over the next several generations, environmental changes will be just as disruptive and are far more certain. Even if the nations of the world achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Accords, the impacts…
Politics in 2018: Making the most of dangerous times
Looking forward from 2018, there are both great opportunities and serious challenges. Challenges may not even be the right word because, while there are obviously obstacles to overcome and problems in need of solutions, there are tragedies waiting in the future which are probably not avoidable anymore. To move forward successfully, we are going to…
Hello World! (Post One)
Hello, and welcome to my new space on the internets. I chose the name the Reboot for a variety of reasons, both personal and thematic. Personally, I wanted a clean white page in front of me to work from and I wanted to make a fresh start in terms of subject matter. Topically, I want…
Scientists ‘losing climate fight’ (ABC)
A leading Australian climate change scientist says experts are losing the fight against sceptics, who are distorting the science of global warming. His comments come as a prominent British climate change sceptic tours the country. Lord Christopher Monckton has arrived in Australia for a series of lectures and is calling for a royal commission into…
China’s Zero-Carbon City Dongtan Delayed, But Not Necessarily Dead, Says Planner (Treehugger)
Last year, I wrote a post mourning the demise of one of the world’s most exciting construction projects: an ecologically sustainable city for half a million people off the coast of Shanghai called Dongtan. The idea was ambitious: a city without a landfill or cars, producing its own renewable electricity and generating zero carbon emissions. Originally…