Spring has felt unusually out of sync this year, with winter lingering well into late March and only brief, inconsistent stretches of warmth. Is this just a strange season or a symptom of climate change? In an interview with The Tribune, Robert Fajber, Assistant Professor in McGill’s Department of Atmospheric[Read More…]
Tag: climate change
Not just ice caps: Shorter frozen seasons causing concern for climate scientists
The climate crisis, painfully familiar and distressing, continues to demand our attention. Some researchers are devoting this attention to analyzing the number of frozen land surface days—days when the ground surface is in a frozen state. A recent paper led by Shadi Hatami, a hydrologist and climate scientist at the[Read More…]
At the water’s edge: Stories of climate adaptation
One wave at a time, coastal communities are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Rising sea levels, intensifying storms, and shifting fisheries threaten ecosystems, infrastructure, and commerce. These challenges were at the heart of this year’s Annual Grand Challenge on Sustainability, organized by Desautel’s Faculty of Management’s[Read More…]
Quebec independence will not solve climate change
Hundreds of Quebec separatists—predominantly younger Quebecers—gathered in Montreal on Oct. 25 for a rally reaffirming their desire for independence 30 years after the 1995 Referendum for Quebec sovereignty, which failed by less than one per cent. The young Quebecers at the front of this movement not only argue that secession[Read More…]
The cooling power of wetlands: Climate benefits in Canada’s prairies
Amid rising global temperatures and intensifying heatwaves, wetlands are among Earth’s essential natural defences. However, Canada’s Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) ecosystems are under threat from decades of drainage and agricultural expansion that have turned much of the landscape into cropland. This shift reduces their capacity to store carbon and regulate[Read More…]
Ships, spills, and genetic shifts: How oil pollution changes Arctic birds’ DNA
The effects of climate change are increasingly visible around the world, but nowhere are these impacts more observable than in the Arctic. The region’s temperature is rising at over two times the global average—a phenomenon that has devastating impacts on natural ecosystems. As the ice melts, it destroys natural habitats,[Read More…]
Fair Trade at McGill: Why your purchases matter
A variety of tabling events often take place on campus, each aimed at promoting and raising awareness for diverse causes. On March 27, The Tribune spoke with the Fair Trade tabling event organizers outside the McConnell Engineering Building. The information booth, identifiable by its red tent and “Spin the Wheel”[Read More…]
Energy poverty in Canada demands political attention
With 20 per cent of Canadian households facing energy poverty—when individuals lack reliable and affordable access to energy services—it is surprising how little political and research attention this social issue receives. Motivated by this research gap, Mylène Riva, an associate professor in McGill’s Department of Geography, and her collaborators set[Read More…]
AM Kanngieser’s ‘Listening as Coming To’ transports you through time
This fall, the PHI Centre is hosting Habitat Sonore: A Kind of Harmony, a series of six sound exhibitions created by different artists. Each event comprises an in-depth interview with the artist, followed by a collective listening experience for the sound piece. Most recently, the centre welcomed audiences on Oct.[Read More…]
As climate crises reach an unprecedented scale, Canada needs to rethink eco-justice
The climate crisis in Canada is worsening every year. In 2023, wildfires burned six times their historical average, polluting Montreal’s air quality to the lowest level in the world for two days. In 2024, 32,000 hectares of Jasper National Park burned down, rapidly eliminating critical local biodiversity and natural ecosystems.[Read More…]