Author Archives: admin

Mr Mulcair Goes to Edmonton, Giving Canadian Climate Hawks a New Dilemma

Posted on May 30, 2012 by admin

Spencer Keys and George Hoberg May 30, 2012 Today the Pembina Institute released a study contributing to the growing expert consensus that Canada has a mild case of Dutch disease. Later this week, NDP leader Thomas Mulcair is travelling to … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Action Policy, Oil Sands | 2 Comments

The Oil Sands Wedge: Could The Next Federal Election Be A Fight Over Dutch Disease?

Posted on April 9, 2012 by admin

Spencer Keys April 9, 2012 February’s spat between Premiers McGuinty and Redford, about whether the oil sands have contributed positively or negatively to Ontario’s economy, has given national prominence to the spectre of Dutch Disease in Canada. The story is … Continue reading →

Posted in Oil Sands | 3 Comments

Can College and University Campuses Become Nodes of a More Formidable Climate Movement?

Posted on March 12, 2012 by admin

George Hoberg March 12, 2012 The postponement of the Keystone XL pipeline has breathed new life into climate movement that has been struggling in the US, Canada, and globally. Blocking significant new fossil fuel infrastructure can be important in galvanizing … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Action Policy | 2 Comments

The Three Logics of Climate Politics

Posted on February 13, 2012 by admin

George Hoberg February 13, 2012 There are three competing logics of climate politics. One is the climate skeptic, convinced either that climate science is exaggerated or that the costs of action outweigh the benefits. Another is the climate policy analyst … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Action Policy | 25 Comments

Canada’s Third Great Pipeline Debate: The Political Landscape as the Northern Gateway Pipeline Hearings Start

Posted on January 10, 2012 by admin

George Hoberg and Andrea Rivers January 10, 2012 As hearing finally start today on the Northern Gateway pipeline from the oil sands to coastal British Columbia, politics on all sides of the dispute have been escalating. The Joint Review Panel … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy Pipelines, Oil Sands | 3 Comments

Hoberg’s Media (MSM and not) Guide to Western Canadian Energy/Environment Policy

Posted on January 2, 2012 by admin

George Hoberg January 2, 2012 This guide is intended for the students in my energy policy classes but I wanted to make it more widely available. You can find it here.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Constitutional Threat to the California Effect: A Court Strikes Down California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard

Posted on December 31, 2011 by admin

George Hoberg December 31, 2011 This week a federal district court in California declared the California low carbon fuel standard unconstitutional for its violation of the interstate commerce clause. The grounds for the decision are revealing about the tensions of … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Action Policy, Oil Sands | Leave a comment

Had enough of the read-world farce of the Durban climate talks? Check out this climate change satire by one of the great novelists our time: Ian McEwan’s Solar (2010)

Posted on December 11, 2011 by admin

Lisa Danielson and George Hoberg December 11, 2011 The Seventeenth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change just concluded with a “plan for enhanced action” in which we’ve agreed to agree at some later point … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental Fiction | Leave a comment

Recipe for Forest-Devastating Insect Outbreak: Take Fire Suppression, Add Global Warming – Book Review: Andrew Nikiforuk’s The Empire of the Beetle

Posted on December 9, 2011 by admin

Lisa Danielson, Environment and Natural Resource Policy Intern December 9, 2011 “It’s not something you’ve ever seen before. It’s like a tsunami that takes twenty-five years instead of two seconds” Keith Dufresne, manager of the Cariboo-Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition In … Continue reading →

Posted in BC Forest Policy | Leave a comment

Pressure Rising on Both Sides of Northern Gateway Oil Sands Pipeline: December 2011 Update

Posted on December 6, 2011 by admin

George Hoberg and Andrea Rivers December 6, 2011 (last updated December 8, 2011) [Due to rapidly developing events we've decided to keep this post a living document with frequent updates. Updates from original text will be in italics.] Since US … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy Pipelines, Oil Sands | 1 Comment