On Feb. 24, Russian troops launched an illegal invasion of Ukraine that rapidly escalated into full-blown war. On televisions and on the front pages of newspapers, the world watched as families were split apart on crowded train platforms and cities were leveled by bomb blasts. Ukrainian civilians faced the harrowing[Read More…]
Tag: climate change
Between climate denial and climate anxiety
During their time occupying the Arts Building, Divest McGill screened movies and documentaries shining light on the climate emergency. As the chilling images of fires, floods, and famines flashed across screens, the air became heavy. Silence reigned, and only a few deep breaths disturbed it from time to time. It[Read More…]
Projecting global temperatures more accurately
Estimating global climate change with any degree of accuracy is no easy feat. Although climate models all agree that global temperatures are increasing, the rate and extent to which predictions differ leaves us with uncertainty. For example, it is unclear when the Earth will surpass key temperature thresholds, such as[Read More…]
‘Don’t Look Up’ is a bad joke with no punchline
With a laughably talented cast and a whopping $75-million budget, Netflix’s original film Don’t Look Up generates lofty expectations that it ultimately fails to meet. The film follows astronomers Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) and Dr. Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio)’s attempt to warn the U.S. government and general public about a comet[Read More…]
Household energy efficiency segregated along racial lines in the U.S., study finds
As the climate crisis worsens, reducing carbon emissions has become one of the most pressing priorities to mitigate its effects. In the United States in 2020, the residential sector was responsible for approximately 20 per cent of total carbon emissions from energy consumption. Targeted housing policies that increase residential energy[Read More…]
U of T’s divestment sets a low bar that McGill refuses to reach
On Oct. 27, the University of Toronto (U of T) announced that it would divest from all its direct fossil fuel investments in the next 12 months, with plans to divest from all indirect investments by 2030. It also stated that it will take steps to curb more emissions than[Read More…]
Just one lifetime away: Mapping climate change beyond the year 2100
The year 2100 has frequently served as a benchmark for climate health projections. Yet, more than half a century has passed since 2100 was first used as a horizon, and the year is no longer a marker of an abstract and dystopian future, but rather a time that will be[Read More…]
Mapping provincial variations in Canada’s nitrogen output
Reactive nitrogen (Nr) is a primary plant nutrient fertilizer that plays a critical role in agricultural production. For the past century, the availability of Nr in soil has become increasingly important to farmers as they attempt to grow the crops that contribute to nitrogen fixation, the process by which microorganisms[Read More…]
RSN hosts debate on individual versus systemic climate action
On Oct. 19, McGill’s Research and Sustainability Network (RSN) held a virtual debate on the topic of individual versus systemic solutions to the climate crisis. The event featured three McGill professors who research environmental sustainability in their respective fields: Sanjith Gopalakrishnan, assistant professor of operations management in the Desautels Faculty[Read More…]
Nature-based solutions are the future of climate change mitigation
Global biodiversity has been increasingly imperilled since the beginning of the Holocene, or the human age, but many scientists agree that biodiversity decline in the 21st century is akin to a sixth mass extinction. Without the transformation of many facets of society, species abundance will continue to decline, causing a[Read More…]
