In the depths of winter we are more at risk of succumbing to viral respiratory infections – from annoying sore throat, common cold and sinusitis, to the current resurgence of respiratory syncytial…
Month: July 2023
what are the impacts of shifting to all-electric homes?
Gas connections for all new housing and sub-divisions will be banned in Victoria from January 1 next year. The long-term result of the state government’s significant change to planning approvals will be…
Climate change can drive social tipping points – for better or for worse
It’s impossible to turn on the TV, listen to the radio or scroll social media without hearing about real-world climate impacts. July is the hottest month on record. The United Nations has…
Québec’s cultural awareness training makes flawed assumptions that do not prioritize the safety of Indigenous people
Québec’s Minister Responsible for Relations with the First Nations and the Inuit, Ian Lafrenière, recently introduced Bill 32, which aims to “establish the cultural safety approach within the health and social services…
3 ways higher education can become more hopeful in the post-pandemic, post-AI era
We live at a time when universities and colleges are facing multiplying crises, pressures and changes. From the COVID-19 pandemic and budgetary pressures to generative artificial intelligence (AI) and climate catastrophe, the…
Why we need to reuse waste energy to achieve net-zero heating systems
As we move toward a cleaner energy future, there is a growing push to electrify everything, from cars to home heating. While that sounds ideal, it is also much more than a…
Antarctica is missing a chunk of sea ice bigger than Greenland – what’s going on?
Deadly heatwaves, raging wildfires and record global temperatures are upon us. But far from the flames, at the southernmost tip of the planet, something just as shocking is unfolding. It’s Antarctic winter,…
Opioids and cocaine are a deadly combination – and ‘polydrug’ deaths are rising
Drug deaths in the US involving both opioids and cocaine have increased dramatically in the past decade, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Drug-related…
The oil industry has succumbed to a dangerous new climate denialism
If we have not been warned of the dangers of climate change this summer, we never will be. Extreme heat, forest fires and floods have been all over news reports. Yet the…
Extreme heat is particularly hard on older adults – an aging population and climate change put ever more people at risk
Scorching temperatures have put millions of Americans in danger this summer, with heat extremes stretching from coast to coast in the Southern U.S. Phoenix hit 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) or higher…