The Climate Lens

We've never felt the ramifications of climate change more than over the last few years and yet in 2025 much of the world seems reluctant to even say its name any more and yet China continues to lap the rest of the world on energy transition, Australia is now generating so much solar power it's offering its citizens free electricity during peak hours and in South Korea there's a new law that parking lots beyond a certain size must now also become solar farms. And of course as we've hit up repeatedly here on the Climate Lens throughout 2025 there remains a rock solid consistent worldwide majority of humans that support more & bigger climate-smart policies.To help us dig into all this we're very happy to have on this month's show Caroline Brouilette, Executive Director for Climate Action Network or CANRAC, a network representing 140 organizations working for climate change from coast to coast to coast and fellow Calgary Climate Hub co-founder Dr Joe Vipond of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.*****Sources used in this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G1cNrMsvzZM8mIfShGB6Bse_962EXJ1SggtQUxkhGUM/Transcript of the episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y14mFS3IDaDwzMu0b_t0WInFebEEX6GsCqzYixSs6Fs/*****Climate Action Network (CANRAC): https://climateactionnetwork.ca/Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment: https://cape.ca/*****If you appreciate what we're doing here at the Climate Lens one way you could help out is become a member of our Patreon for just 5 bucks a month at https://www.patreon.com/TheClimateLens or make a one time donation via the Calgary Climate Hub website at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/92219****Calgary Climate HubWebsite: https://www.calgaryclimatehub.caBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/climatehubyyc.bsky.socialMastodon: https://campaign.openworlds.info/@ClimateHubYYCInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/calgaryclimatehub/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calgaryclimatehub/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@calgaryclimatehubVolunteer! https://www.calgaryclimatehub.ca/volunteerBecome a Member! https://www.calgaryclimatehub.ca/membershipDonate! https://www.calgaryclimatehub.ca/donateSupport us on Patreon!

Oil companies made the people of Alberta and specifically the landowners a deal, that if they come on to your land to drill you will be paid for it and the land will be returned to its previous state. Whatt we've been seeing for some time now with a muti-billion dollar price tag attached is a great many oil companies just taking the the profits and skipping out on those cleanup costs, leaving them instead to the landowners themselves, and to you the Albertan and/or Canadian taxpayer. We've got a powerhouse panel featuring Phillip Meintzer, a co-founder and campaign organizer with the Coalition for Responsible Energy, affected landowner Dwight Popowich, Alberta land rights advocate and Vice Chair of the Polluter Pay Federation Mark Dorin and finally Susanne Callabrese from Ecojustice, Canada’s largest environmental law charity.Episode 38 TranscriptEpisode 38 SourcesSupport us on Patreon!

Doug Clark, a Bike Calgary advocate dedicated to cycling infrastructure, and Alyssa Quinney, a passionate year-round cyclist, reveal the importance of bike lanes in urban mobility. They discuss the Ontario court ruling that protects bike lanes and how misinformation fuels political attacks against them. Their personal cycling stories highlight the benefits of safe, protected lanes, while they also suggest ways for Calgarians to get involved through advocacy and community rides, emphasizing the need for honest discussions about transportation and climate.

Brent Toderian, a leading Canadian urbanist, has influenced the future of sustainable city planning for decades. In this discussion, he emphasizes the critical role of urban development in achieving climate goals, especially with the upcoming COP30 summit. Toderian breaks down the innovative '15-minute city' concept, debunking myths and advocating for accessible neighborhoods. He also stresses the importance of civic engagement in local climate action, urging citizens to hold politicians accountable during elections for a prosperous, climate-smart future.

Geoff Dembicki, an investigative journalist and author of The Petroleum Papers, dives deep into Big Oil's deceitful history regarding climate change. He reveals the industry's internal knowledge versus its public stance, highlighting their sabotage of effective reforms. Dembicki critically analyzes the contentious carbon capture technology, particularly a significant $16.5 billion project in Alberta, questioning its effectiveness and true motives. The discussion emphasizes the need for active citizen engagement, stressing that real change requires collective action beyond just political promises.

Dr. Joe Vipond, a medical doctor and co-founder of the Calgary Climate Hub, discusses the pressing issue of wildfires in Canada amid the push for fewer regulations on oil and gas development. He emphasizes the need for the climate movement to stay active and reshape narratives away from a petrostate perspective. Vipond critiques the media's ties to the oil industry, urging for independent journalism. He also highlights the importance of public involvement in climate policy and advocates for community initiatives to combat climate change effectively.

In this episode of The Climate Lens, we feature Hannah Muhajarine from Climate Reality Canada about the National Climate League, a volunteer-driven report that tracks and compares how Canadian cities are tackling the climate crisis.From innovative policies in Nanaimo and Halifax, to Calgary’s strengths and weaknesses, the NCL provides a clear, data-backed snapshot of municipal climate progress. Learn how local action stacks up across Canada, why cities are critical to climate solutions, and how you can use this report to spark real change in your community.*****Sources used in this episode:Climate Reality Canada: https://www.climatereality.caThe National Climate League 2024 Standings: https://theclimaterealityproject.app.box.com/s/jw30lpua7r7wsl53wxoaopwm5tx35zdhTranscript of the episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QFx0zJZt4WnKiMUYmsRQKB8HWSi6As6IYki7jxvXSWY/edit?usp=sharing Hannah MuhajarineCalgary Climate Hub: Join, Donate, Volunteer!*****If you appreciate what we're doing here at the Climate Lens one way you could help out is become a member of our Patreon for just 5 bucks a month at https://www.patreon.com/TheClimateLens or make a one time donation via the Calgary Climate Hub website at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/92219****Calgary Climate HubWebsite: https://www.calgaryclimatehub.caBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/climatehubyyc.bsky.socialMastodon: https://campaign.openworlds.info/@ClimateHubYYCInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/calgaryclimatehub/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calgaryclimatehub/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@calgaryclimatehubVolunteer! https://www.calgaryclimatehub.ca/volunteerBecome a Member! https://www.calgaryclimatehub.ca/membershipDonate! https://www.calgaryclimatehub.ca/donateSupport us on Patreon!

It's always easy to shrug things off by saying "well that's just how things have always been" except, when it comes to our entirely human constructed global economic system it's categorically untrue. It has NOT always been like this. Our current model which is increasingly shrinking the world's middle class, making the poor poorer, the rich richer and the world increasingly on fire is just ONE now demonstrably failing human made system. Others economic systems systems have existed before and will exist on this planet again. In 2025 it's way past time we started exploring them. This month's guest is Lindsay McLaren, Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary and a Research Associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and member of the Advisory Board of the Parkland Institute.*****Sources used in this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p-y5HrsyYbvbzpu_7povU725OyCw7Pc_N90PGZCmTZE/edit?usp=sharingTranscript of the episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C8Zqp9ti9WZlzB2y7CFVSIJxdngiQaIrpPHOi8ob_RU/edit?usp=sharing*****Linday McLaren: https://www.parklandinstitute.ca/lmclaren*****If you appreciate what we're doing here at the Climate Lens one way you could help out is become a member of our Patreon for just 5 bucks a month at https://www.patreon.com/TheClimateLens or make a one time donation via the Calgary Climate Hub website at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/92219****Calgary Climate HubWebsite: https://www.calgaryclimatehub.caBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/climatehubyyc.bsky.socialMastodon: https://campaign.openworlds.info/@ClimateHubYYCInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/calgaryclimatehub/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calgaryclimatehub/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@calgaryclimatehubVolunteer! https://www.calgaryclimatehub.ca/volunteerBecome a Member! https://www.calgaryclimatehub.ca/membershipDonate! https://www.calgaryclimatehub.ca/donateSupport us on Patreon!

Oil and gas bosses have known exactly what climate change is, its relationship to their product and exactly how dire it would all get for going on 50 years now, at a minimum. Also well established and irrefutable during this time was their collective organized response, which was to first deny climate change itself, create doubt around the science (just like tobacco companies did with lung cancer & cigarettes), slow walk the solutions and create doubt around them as well, shift the blame to the individual and pretend to be partners in working to fix climate change while making everything even worse and raking in record profits while they do it. It's bad enough they did it to the rest of us for so long but a new report entitled "Polluting Education - the Influence of Fossil Fuels on Children;s education in Canada" reveals that oil and gas companies have been applying these very same tactics to school children across Canada who may not yet have the tools to critically assess them for what they are, many of whom would have never even heard of let alone understood words like indoctrination, disinformation and propaganda. With us today is report co-author, independent researcher and climate activist in Toronto Anne Keary, Retired Alberta science teacher Tylene Appel and For Our Kids activist (which is a parent-led climate change advocacy organization) and longtime Hub friend Claire Kraatz.*****Sources used in this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JFcPxMwjUAeBBuR4McExSACuDMoxkdZKiXdoGMz5RIk/Transcript of the episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z-1mQT8qtpd05zfROzi1sxyKV5-LNOyExu4mBpBNpKg/*****The Influence of Fossil Fuels on Children’s Education in Canada: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/forourkids/pages/2782/attachments/original/1739848766/PollutingEducation_ReportSummary.pdf?1739848766Anne Keary: https://www.eeon.org/anne-kearyClaire Kraatz: https://x.com/Claire_Kraatz*****If you appreciate what we're doing here at the Climate Lens one way you could help out is become a member of our Patreon for just 5 bucks a month at https://www.patreon.com/TheClimateLens or make a one time donation via the Calgary Climate Hub website at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/92219****Calgary Climate HubWebsite: https://www.calgaryclimatehub.caBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/climatehubyyc.bsky.socialMastodon: https://campaign.openworlds.info/@ClimateHubYYCInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/calgaryclimatehub/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calgaryclimatehub/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@calgaryclimatehubVolunteer! https://www.calgaryclimatehub.ca/volunteerBecome a Member! https://www.calgaryclimatehub.ca/membershipDonate! https://www.calgaryclimatehub.ca/donateSupport us on Patreon!

Veteran climate activist Tzeporah Berman shares lessons from 30 years of advocacy, including her role on Alberta’s Oil Sands Advisory Group. We discuss the energy transition, the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, and how lessons from policy-making in Alberta can shape the world.*****Sources used in this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a54YSAVq-1XENy28k5zL33Jjt2QmrOZVwDfEc9Xlh3Q/edit?usp=sharing*****Transcript of the episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kqbwXhVcaHgDQcLJ12f5sbX8nXOp8KpmCntPZaW26bE/edit?usp=drive_link*****Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation TreatyStand.Earth*****Calgary Climate Hub Website: https://www.calgaryclimatehub.caInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/calgaryclimatehub/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calgaryclimatehub/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzh9NWUmvSzpOsa7ReTs83QBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/climatehubyyc.bsky.socialMastodon: https://campaign.openworlds.info/@ClimateHubYYCVolunteer! https://www.calgaryclimatehub.ca/volunteerBecome a Member! https://www.calgaryclimatehub.ca/membershipSupport us on Patreon!