I just find it so amazing how there’s been such a kickback by a very small highly vocal minority protesting imposed lifestyle changes to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic here in Canada. This includes mainly, for many of them, strong persuasion to get vaccinated by imposing temporary restrictions on travelling, dining out, going to a movie, etc. for those not fully vaccinated, but also to wearing masks, reduction in numbers able to attend large gatherings, and keeping your distance from others when indoors. While this is guised under the pretence of having freedoms restricted, this is really a lark as it’s those same people who are abusing their rights of assembly by breaking laws and literally taking the Ottawa downtown and Parliamentary areas hostage and blocking Canada/U.S. border crossings, causing huge inconvenience, hundreds of millions of dollars of business losses and forcing layoffs of thousands of workers in both Canada and the USA. It was all started, perhaps, by a very small minority of truckers, but is led and populated by others, including nefarious types, like a small group who were arrested after being found with a huge cash of arms and ammunition at an Alberta border crossing. I’ve even read of an Ottawa church that had to lock in service attendees as protesters stormed inside the church, shouting and trying to abuse those attending. This is not right. Protesters, now for three weeks, have also turned their blockaded streets in Ottawa into a giant party complete with hot tubs, saunas, barbeques, dancing to loud music from a large stage, and of course the incessant honking from their giant trucks day and night totally disturbing the peace of local neighbours and parliamentarians. This assault on our capital city is an affront to all Canadians, let alone the politicians who are being held for ransom: give into their demands to drop all Covid related restrictions, even resign, or they will not leave. This charade has been declared illegal by all three levels of government, states of emergency have been declared, court injunctions have been leveled against them, all seemingly (until today) to little avail.
These highly privileged Canadians just don’t know how good they have it, especially if they get Covid and have to be hospitalized; then taking advantage of our societal largesse, including state-of-the art technologies and healthcare workers, who, by the way imperil themselves each and every day, by serving, getting totally exhausted and many leaving their profession. It’s no secret that hospital Covid wards and ICUs are almost entirely populated by those not vaccinated (see Endshots). There’s just so much evidence to support vaccines, I am really dumbfounded by their rejection, as they have been a cornerstone of my life's work in primary health care. While we in the West have the luxury of being ignorant on this one, 'only' 6 million have died worldwide, but just wait.
All this, being a disgrace in itself, only makes me think of what will happen in the future when government has to begin demanding lifestyle modifications (and more taxes) to deal with the climate crisis, which is happening in Canada more than many countries, but is on a relentless march across the world. So far our governments have done little, they're still funding fossil fuels, and we are so far behind with our greenhouse gas reduction commitments. But the day will surely come, after we're hit with more seasons of deadly fires, droughts, insect invasions, famines, forest destruction, melting glaciers, warming and rising of seas, heat domes, floods, and climate refugees…it just goes on. It is all happening now, let alone what we Canadians, with the largest ecological footprint in the world, think about it, and do so little to address. We are one of the most highly privileged societies in the world, and we can’t even be united over how to fight a highly contagious and deadly pandemic. Such, too, is the internet war with now much evidence of foreign influence (and funding of the protesters) and all the conspiracy theories about the danger of vaccines, even hospitals. Realize, vaccines have been used for 400 years on our continent, they are a staple of global health, everyone is vaccinated against most diseases, even school children in Canada can’t attend their classes without them, and already more than 10 billion Covid vaccines have been safely given globally. Those in less rich countries and their advocates must be looking on in total dismay as they keep demanding justice to get their jabs. Somehow Covid-19 vaccines have been demonized by a slew of mis-information and zealots spreading lies, intent on hurting society, and being arrogant bullies to get their way, with almost complete impunity to the laws and the luxury of lack of law enforcement.
But what’s going to happen in the highly predicted future of our climate crisis, according to hordes of scientific findings, news reports and personal direct observations. What will happen? Will the Koch, Russian media and oil company fed outliers and bullies drive their heavy equipment into our city centres, to protest such coming measures? We are hopefully nearing the end of the pandemic and restrictions, but the climate crisis is just getting out of first gear. Will the ignorance continue to be heavily financed by those who either want to disrupt democracy or maintain their super privileged positions? Heaven help us. Earth offers no such impunity.
In today’s Planetary Health Weekly (#7 of 2022) you’ll read more about injustices, privilege and harm:
CLIMATE CRISIS UPDATES:
Wind giant Ørsted shares lessons on energy system transformation,
Canada readies carbon capture credit emissions plan, Governments are investing billions into carbon capture in the Prairies – here’s what you need to know,
Activists urge the International Energy Agency to remove paywalls around its data,
DeJoy thumbs nose at Biden’s climate push, orders fleet of gas-guzzling mail trucks,
How billions of infrastructure funding could worsen global warming,
Global EV sales more than doubled in 2021 vs. 2020, tripled vs. 2019,
Our oceans are hotter than ever – scientists say they worry about what that means for the future,
CORONAVIRUS UPDATES:
Making sense of the numbers: greater proportion of unvaccinated are being hospitalized,
Heart-disease risk soars after Covid – even with a mild case,
Most disagree with convoy truckers on vaccine mandates and lockdowns,
Will anti-vaccine protests by truckers in Canada gain traction around the world?
The whole world should be worried by the ‘siege of Ottawa’ – this is much more than about a few anti-vaxxers truckers,
New anti-Covid steel developed in Hong Kong expected to his market in 6 months,
After two years of closed borders Australia welcomes the world back,
J.&J. pauses production of its Covid vaccine despite persistent need,
Health experts not alarmed by new variant identified in France,
Pandemic’s long-term effects on children,
Mom ignores sound advice, gets Covid unvaxxed, and her son descends into madness,
New vaccine manufacturing campus is proof that Africa will ‘stand on its own’ – President Ramaphosa,
New Covid test gives results comparable to PCR test in just 5 minutes,
What do masks do to kids? (Face masks keep kids safe from Covid-19 and keep schools open. There’s no evidence they harm kids developmentally.) THEN
Bezruchka’s come ‘Bez’s Blog #2,’
9 countries to watch on the 2021 corruption perceptions index,
WPS global early warning tool of violent conflict for February 2022,
Let’s talk rhino conservation: what is notching and why is it important?
Soft corals are dying around Jeju Island, a biosphere reserve that’s hoMe to a South Korean naval base,
Another challenge for conservation efforts: gender inequality,
Statement from Shift Action for pension wealth & planet health on Canadian Pension Plan’s net-zero by 2050 commitment,
Things to do with a crab shell (besides tossing it),
Enough with toxic Musk-Ulinity,
Beware of false solutions (i.e., carbon capture) to the crisis of climate change and plastic pollution,
Quote by Rihanna on climate justice,
Activists target public relations groups for greenwashing fossil fuels,
World’s brightest x-rays reveal Covid-19’s damage to the body,
Counting carbon,
Meet B.C.’s new wildfire crew: cows,
New book: “Pollution is Colonialism” by Max Liboiron,
Race on campus: how a tribal college grew from 9 to 55 nations, and lastly
ENDSHOTS of 'Fruits of the Earth' in Villa de Etla, Oaxaca, Mexico amid latest stats and charts of Covid-19 in Canada and around the world.
The top of an offshore wind turbine at Burbo Bank, UK. Credit: Ørsted
To achieve the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement, every business and government has a part to play.
Ørsted sold its last oil and gas assets in 2017 and is now the world’s largest developer of offshore wind power. It is the only energy company to have its net zero strategy validated under the Science Based Target initiative.
This experience informs a handbook for decision makers, Getting On Track For 1.5 °C, setting out key actions to supercharge decarbonization.
“Taking the necessary action to stay within 1.5 °C is in essence neither a technology, nor an economic challenge. It’s a leadership challenge,” said Mads Nipper, CEO of Ørsted.
“Energy is still responsible for over 70 % of global emissions, and without an immediate ramp-up in action, the world will not halve emissions by 2030, and our shot at a 1.5 °C future is lost,” he added.
Suggested steps include constructing twice as much wind and solar in the coming eight years as what has previously been built, unlocking access to space for deployment of renewables, and improving corporate power purchase agreements. Read more at Climate Home News
Globally, nationally and locally, the pandemic continues to ravage many parts of the world, with Omicron and angst to ease restrictions. Cases have spiked recently, especially in Denmark, Slovakia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, etc. but are now reducing somewhat elsewhere though confirmation isn't too good these days. It's not near being over yet, despite what some say about learning to live with the virus, which seems rushed at best.
Over the last week there were about 15 million new cases (down ~12% though monitoring is insufficient now) and 77,000 deaths (same as last week). About 159 million people received a vaccine, up ~20%, while distribution still remains grossly distorted, especially for those in Africa. In Canada it just seems to be a mess, though improving.
"It is the plague in seemingly all sincerity." Bob Woodward
Paramedics transfer patients to the emergency room triage but have no choice but to leave them in the hallway due to an at capacity emergency room at the Humber River Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Jan. 25, 2022. Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Nearly 80 per cent of the Canadian population is vaccinated with at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. But with studies pointing to the protective benefits of these vaccines, it may be puzzling to see that the majority of virus-related hospitalizations in most provinces involve people who are fully vaccinated against the disease.
In Quebec, for example, health officials reported 160 new COVID-19-related hospitalizations on Feb. 5 among those aged five and older. This figure includes patients in hospital wards and intensive care units (ICUs). Of these hospitalizations, 118 were among those who were vaccinated with either two or three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Five hospitalizations involved partially vaccinated residents and 32 hospitalized patients were either unvaccinated or received their first dose within less than 14 days. No vaccine status was specified for four additional COVID-19-related hospitalizations.
Dr. Christopher Labos is a cardiologist and epidemiologist based in Montreal. When looking at the raw data, the explanation behind why more fully vaccinated people were admitted to hospital as opposed to unvaccinated people is simple, he said. “There are more vaccinated people out there. When the vaccinated make up 80 to 90 per cent of the population, they will make up more of the hospitalizations.” Read more at CTV News and see more stats about the great protection from vaccines in Endshots
Even a mild case of COVID-19 can increase a person’s risk of cardiovascular problems for at least a year after diagnosis, a new study1 shows. Researchers found that rates of many conditions, such as heart failure and stroke, were substantially higher in people who had recovered from COVID-19 than in similar people who hadn’t had the disease.
What’s more, the risk was elevated even for those who were under 65 years of age and lacked risk factors, such as obesity or diabetes.
The winter games in Beijing are likely to be over by the time you read this. The games originated in Greece millennia ago and coincided with a festival honoring Zeus. They were revived in Athens in 1896 with contestants from 12 nations. World wars prevented holding them in 1916, 1940 and 1944. The Tokyo 2020 event was postponed a year due to COVID-19. Since 1994 there have been separate Summer and Winter Olympics alternating every two years. Countries compete with medals awarded to individuals and teams that represent their nation. What qualifies as an Olympic event has changed since the first tournament, from a 192 meter footrace in the first Games to now more than 400 events among 35 different sports and 53 disciplines in the Winter and Summer games combined. Events such as golf, skateboarding, and surfing have been added, while others such as cricket retired. Breakdancing and frisbee will likely debut in 2024. The Paralympic Games were added in 1960 in Rome featuring 400 athletes from 23 countries.
What if health was a discipline in the Olympics? What kind of races or events might be considered? I began thinking this way over 20 years ago, coining the phrase "Health Olympics" in a paper in the Canadian Medical Association Journal titled: "Societal hierarchy and the health Olympics." Alas, this hasn't yet become a household phrase. That article has had few citations and bespeaks to a desire to not make country comparisons for meaningful health outcomes. That has not always been the case, as a Canadian prime minister once boasted that Canada was number two in life expectancy rankings a few decades ago, and Australia set the aim of being the healthiest country by 2020. Let's explore the Health Olympics.
A reasonable race in such events would be life expectancy, average length of life if mortality rates didn't change from year to year. There are various sources for this data. I've been using the annual United Nations Human Development Report
where Table 1 lists UN nations and their life expectancies. Vital statistics refers to the recording of vital events such as births and deaths. All rich countries have been doing this for some time and reasonable estimates exist for the others. For 2019 the UNDP ranking for the Gold Medal would go to Japan with a life expectancy of 84.6 years. Canada ranked 13th with 82.4 years while the United States tied for 36th at 78.9 years.
The United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has a World Factbook where they rank nations on various indicators. For the latest data (they used to report the year for the indicator but no longer do), Japan comes in at 84.65 while Canada is 83.62 and the U.S. is 80.43. The U.S. ranks 46th there. The CIA includes tiny countries such as Monaco, San Marino and Taiwan (which is not a UN country) which explains the poorer U.S. ranking.
As many know, there is current disagreement about numbers of COVID-19 deaths. There is no UN report for 2020 COVID-19 outcomes. Nevertheless, the U.S. appears to have had more COVID-19 deaths than any other nation. Some estimates for 2020 keep Japan at 84.4, while Canada is 81.7 while the U.S. drops to 77.3 years. Statistics Canada reported this as the largest decrease recorded since 1921, the year its vital statistics registration system was introduced.
If health were an Olympic event and the race was how long you lived, then the U.S. would not appear in the event as it would have been disqualified in the trials. Back in the early 1950s the U.S. would certainly have been in the finals although the times would be considerably shorter. That is, measured by length of life, the United States was one of the leading nations in the early 1950s and might have won a medal. The qualifier 'might' is necessary as good data were not then available for all countries. Nonetheless, since then many other nations have seen much greater improvements in health than the United States. Why is this the case?
Consider the 2019 5.7 year gap between Japan and America. If the two leading causes of death in the U.S. that year were eliminated, heart disease and cancer, the United States would be very close to Japan's life expectancy. In other words if the United States eliminated its two leading killers as causes of death, they would be close to being the longest-lived country. That represents a phenomenal health gap. While such figures are occasionally reported in the news, namely U.S. life expectancy numbers and those of longer-lived nations, the significance of those few years difference is never explained.
What surprises me is how difficult it is to draw attention to U.S. health in comparison to other nations. There is the belief that America is number one, the best, when it comes to anything and everything.
In upcoming posts I will explore reasons for the U.S. relative health decline (and with COVID-19, an absolute health decline not seen in some other nations such as Japan). Read more at PlanetaryHealthWeeklyBlogs
Over the past decade, frustration about corruption has dominated electoral campaigns, toppled governments and inspired people to take to the streets in their thousands.
And while the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) paints a grim global picture of the state of public sector corruption, it also shows that 25 countries have made demonstrable improvements in recent years. Many of these wins belong not only to government reformers, but also to the dedicated individuals and communities from across all parts of society who have sparked change.
But progress against corruption cannot be taken for granted – especially not when human rights and democracy are under attack. In the last year alone, high-level corruption scandals, fresh allegations of misused COVID-19 funds, and deliberate efforts to weaken institutional and societal checks on power show that vigilance is needed across the board.
Transparency International’s analysis reveals that in 2022 our societies will need to be on particularly high alert in nine countries.
The rhino poaching crisis in Africa is estimated to have started in Zimbabwe around 2009, where difficult socio-economic circumstances and the value of a rhino horn led to rhino poaching to make ends meet. Rhino poaching expanded to South Africa; the home of the largest rhino population in the world, including the near-threatened white rhino and the critically endangered black rhino.
Predominant poaching activity originates from Kruger National Park, which shares a border with Mozambique. There was an estimated total of 3,529 white rhinos and only 268 black rhinos left in the park in 2021, though figures are most likely much lower.
At present, at least 9,885 African rhinos have lost their lives to poaching in the last decade. But, luckily there are various organizations and individuals who work ceaselessly to combat poaching end ensure the survival of our precious rhinos.
One such organization, One Land Love It (OLLI) is a conservation and education-oriented non-profit based in South Africa, committed to doing everything possible to protect and ensure the survival of the rhino population. Read more at Getaway
Fishing is a way of life on the island of Siquijor at the heart of the species-rich Coral Triangle in the south-central Philippines.Credit: Sarah Trent
When women lead in conservation, indicators of success often go up — yet they are routinely excluded. Could a group of local leaders in the Philippines provide a model? Read more at NY Times
Canadian Pension Plan Investments (CPP) has taken an important step in recognizing that the long-term success of our national retirement fund is directly linked to addressing the climate crisis. While Shift is relieved to see the CPP finally catch up with its peers in making its essential net-zero commitment, the fund does not yet have a credible plan for achieving it.
The CPP’s announcement and its existing climate strategy fail to recognize the obvious reality that not every company or sector has a credible or profitable pathway to achieving zero emissions in line with the urgency of the Paris climate agreement. In particular, the CPP is heavily exposed to the fossil fuel sector, reporting that 3.53% of its portfolio, or over $17 billion, was invested in hydrocarbon-dependent assets as of March 31, 2021. Read more at Shift Action
A startup in Washington state is turning discarded crab shells into material that can be used in clothing, mattresses and even as a coagulant in water treatment facilities.
Tidal Vision gets the wasted shells from shellfish producers and turns them into chitosan, a material derived from the polymer chitin that forms the hard shells of crabs, lobsters, oysters and shrimp. The material is biodegradable, hypoallergenic and can be used in more than 400 different products as a natural substitute for synthetic and toxic materials, said Kari Ingalls, Tidal Vision’s Director of Business Development for Textiles & Other.
Chitosan is not a new product, Ingalls said, but Tidal Vision’s proprietary, zero-waste process of converting shells that would otherwise be wasted into a usable form is novel. Discarded shells are often dumped into a landfill or incinerated, so Tidal Vision’s process offers a way to recycle this waste.
“We are developing technologies that unlock the potential of sustainable chitosan and enable massive adoption for the first time in North America,” she said. The material can help preserve food, can be used as a natural fertilizer and can clean wastewater and stormwater.
Ingalls said chitosan has a bright future because interest is growing in natural and nontoxic products, “whether because of regulatory pressures coming down on them, or because consumers are asking for it.” Read more at Inside Climate News
Trickster Musk. Collage by The Tyee. Elon Musk photo by Duncan.Hull via Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Elon Musk has declared Canada’s government illegitimate. His evidence? Pictures of lots of angry truckers rolling into Ottawa. On Sunday the world’s richest humantold his 63 million Twitter followers, “It would appear that the so-called ‘fringe minority’ is actually the government.”
And: “If the government had the mandate of the people, there would be a significant counter-protest. There is not, therefore they do not.” He said this as if pointing to the inevitable output of one of his engineering equations.
Musk’s logic of course fails basic tests. Nearly 90% of Canada’s truckers are vaccinated, so the convoy is not representative even of drivers, much less the nearly three out of four polled Canadians who believe truckers should be vaccinated or have to prove they are COVID-free at the border. Then there’s the matter of the actual far-right “fringe minority” extremists tied to the convoy and the hate some of them spew.
Regardless, Musk commands attention for his unmoored views because we live in an age when hugely influential people can pop off irresponsibly about anything and claim, hey, it’s just my personal opinion. Free speech dude! Joe Rogan’s feckless apology Sunday follows this script when he defends exposing his 11 million daily podcast listeners to quacks with deadly prescriptions for handling COVID. Hey, he’s just a curious guy with no filter. Read more at the Tyee
While climate disasters unfold in Canada and around the planet, the federal government is entertaining false solutions from the fossil-fuel industry that risk making things worse instead of better.
The federal government has committed to ending fossil fuel subsidies. But now they’re rolling out new policies, spending programs and tax breaks to incentivize carbon capture and storage, blue hydrogen and “advanced recycling.” The truth is, these are just new fossil fuel subsidies in disguise that will continue to lock us into dirty fuels.
Take “carbon capture and storage” (CCS), touted by the industry as a way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by capturing some of the gases from polluting facilities before they escape into the atmosphere. CCS does nothing to stop the emissions created from burning the fuel — most notably for heating and transportation — and yet the oil and gas lobby wants at least $50 billion from taxpayers to make it happen.
But CCS is not a climate solution. In fact, CCS perversely increases emissions, since most of the captured carbon is actually used to get more oil out of the ground. Read more at The Star
Our ceremonies follow the cycle of the seasons and are determined by careful observance of the land, moon and seasons’ cycle. Midwinter (Tshatek’chelha) is a time of renewing our responsibilities for the coming year and to give thanks to all things on Earth. In this quarterly newsletter, the Environment team will provide several key updates on files that continue to move forward and reflect upon successes. We continue to provide updates on a number of key areas such as climate change, the great lakes (largest eco-system), safe drinking water, and environmental protection activities. We hope you enjoy the Good News Stories that continue to provide us with motivational projects in First Nation Communities breaking barriers for everyone. Read more at Chiefs of Ontario
Quote Of The Week:
Credit: Clara Lionel Foundation
Rihanna’s Foundation Commits $15 Million To Assist Climate Justice Initiatives
The Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF), founded by R&B superstar Rihanna, is betting on climate change as disasters continue to grow in frequency and intensity. The foundation has committed $15 million to 18 organizations working on climate justice across the U.S. and Caribbean in partnership with #StartSmall, Jack Dorsey’s philanthropic initiative.
“Climate disasters, which are growing in frequency and intensity, do not impact all communities equally, with communities of colour and island nations facing the brunt of climate change,” Rihanna said in a statement, adding that is the reason her foundation prioritizes both climate resilience and climate justice work.
March 28-April 1-3, 2022: CUGH 2022 Global Health Conference - All virtual: Healthy People, Healthy Planet, Social Justice (Los Angeles, California). Virtual Satellite Sessions: March 21-25, 2022
Activists Target Public Relations Groups For Greenwashing Fossil Fuels
Credit: Erik McGregor/Sipa USA/Reuters
Duncan Meisel used to help climate activists tell their stories, as a communications adviser to environmentalists trying to convince the public that oil and gas companies must change to avert a climate crisis. Now he is putting pressure on consultants shaping those industries’ own messages. Clean Creatives, the group Meisel helped found, is at the vanguard of a new tactic in the environmental movement: to target advisers who, activists claim, help fossil fuel companies continue polluting and slow government action by distorting climate debates.
One of those groups responded: Edelman, whose work with oil majors such as ExxonMobil helped make it the world’s largest PR group, adopted new principles for working with “emissions intensive” clients. A review of its work had found “zero examples of us erring on facts”, Richard Edelman, the firm’s chief executive, told the Financial Times: “What we found, though, was a lack of context.” If Edelman could not “come to an understanding” about certain customers’ climate commitments, “we’re going to part company”, he said. However, it had so far dropped no clients.
Edelman ranked alongside global advertising groups such as WPP and Dentsu on the list compiled by Clean Creatives, which has persuaded 220 smaller agencies to swear off fossil fuel assignments.
The HiP-CT scan reveals the vasculature within a lung lobe from a 54-year-old male who died of Covid-19. HiP-CT scans show tht in severe Covid-19 cases, the lungs’ blood vessels are severely damaged: Here, airspaces are coloured with cyan, open blood vessels are coloured red, and blocked damaged blood vessels are coloured yellow. Credit: Article
When Paul Tafforeau saw his first experimental scans of a COVID-19 victim’s lung, he thought he had failed. A paleontologist by training, Tafforeau had been labouring with a team strewn across Europe for months to turn a particle accelerator in the French Alps into a revolutionary medical scanning tool.
It was the end of May 2020, and scientists were anxious for a better view of the ways human organs were being ravaged by COVID-19. Tafforeau had been tasked with developing a technique that could make use of the powerful x-rays generated at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France. He’d pushed boundaries on high-resolution x-rays of rock-hard fossils and desiccated mummies as an ESRF staff scientist. Now, he was dismayed by a lump of soft, squishy tissue.
But when his colleagues caught their first glimpse of the lung scans, they felt something else: awe.
The Paris Agreement adopted a target for global warming not to exceed 1.5°C. This sets a limit on the additional carbon we can add to the atmosphere – the carbon budget. Only 18% of the carbon budget is now left. That is about 10 years at current emission rates. See this short 4 minute video to see how carbon is circulated in the biosphere and measured.
It’s not rocket science, rancher Jordy Thibeault said: cows eat grass. All day, every day.
But could these grass-munching, docile cows become community heroes in the leagues of firefighters? That’s what some ranchers and researchers are hoping.
Thibeault and a handful of other ranchers in British Columbia’s interior are bringing their cattle into lightly wooded areas on Crown land, close to people’s homes, to graze the understory and reduce dried grass that acts as fuel. The goal isn’t to stop wildfires, which are a natural part of the landscape, especially in grasslands in the Okanagan and East Kootenay regions. The goal is to lower the risk to people’s homes and prevent the most dangerous fires.
In "Pollution Is Colonialism" Max Liboiron presents a framework for understanding scientific research methods as practices that can align with or against colonialism. He points out that even when researchers are working toward benevolent goals, environmental science and activism are often premised on a colonial worldview and access to land. Focusing on plastic pollution, the book models an anti-colonial scientific practice aligned with Indigenous, particularly Métis, concepts of land, ethics and relations.
Liboiron draws on work in the Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research (CLEAR)--an anticolonial science laboratory in Newfoundland, Canada--to illuminate how pollution is not a symptom of capitalism but a violent enactment of colonial land relations that claim access to Indigenous land. Liboiron's creative, lively and passionate text refuses theories of pollution that make Indigenous land available for settler and colonial goals. In this way, their methodology demonstrates that anti-colonial science is not only possible but is currently being practised in ways that enact more ethical modes of being in the world.
Race On Campus: How A Tribal College Grew From 9 To 55 Nations
Credit: Tohono O'odham Community College
Welcome to Race on Campus. While many community colleges are suffering from enrollment declines, Tohono O’odham Community College is experiencing a surge. This is, in part, because the pandemic prompted the college to offer students from about 55 tribal nations to enroll in tuition-free online courses. Now, the college is grappling with a different challenge: What happens when there’s less federal aid and in-person classes resume?
Publisher and Editor: Dr. David Zakus Production: Julia Chalmers & Aisha Saleem Social Media: Mahdia Abidi, Shalini Kainth and Ishneer Mankoo Website, Index and Advisory: Eunice Anteh, Gaël Chetaille, Evans Oppong, Jonathan Zakus, Dr. Aimée-Angélique Bouka & Elisabeth Huang Blogs: Dr. Stephen Bezruchka, Aisha Saleem and Dr. Jay Kravitz