Kathryn Harrison

insideclimatenews.orgHow the Climate Crisis Fueled the Youth Protests Roiling France - Inside Climate NewsYouth protests for better school conditions have prompted a national political crisis. Lack of adaptation to a hotter world is part of the story.

French students' experience in schools in worsening heat waves is also fueling anger. insideclimatenews.org/news/1710202...

When #Vancouver proposed residential parking permits (~$50/yr) to reduce vehicle GHGs outrage ensued; motion defeated. Then pay parking came in at local community centre, shifting visitors to street parking. Residents voted for permit parking ($80/yr). Self-interest prevailed over collective goals.

Canada's going in the wrong direction. Emissions are going up not down, a direct result of weakened policies. Planned oil/gas production increases will further increase GHGs. Despite Ministers' insistence that we're still committed to net zero in 2050, the policies needed to do that aren't in place.

Canadian Climate Institute@climateinstitute.bsky.social

NEW: Our latest early estimate of Canada’s national emissions shows higher gas use drove up emissions in 2025. But clean electrification can help steer Canada back toward net zero. https://440megatonnes.ca/insight/early-estimate-canadas-emissions-increased-in-2025/

Mark your calendars for UBC post-municipal election panel October 19, with @jmcelroy.bsky.social @stewartprest.ca Robin Gill, Mario Canseco, Katie Hislop (all UBC poli sci alumni). But VOTE first!

*Hyslop!

ctvnews.caThe impact of oil and gas projects on BC’s electionYour Morning Vancouver speaks to UBC political science professor Kathryn Harrison about whether oil and gas projects will be a big factor for voters.

Some thoughts on oil and gas in the #BCelection. www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/vi...

nationalobserver.comEnergy regulator hands oil giants discount worth billions to use Trans-Mountain pipelineThe decision means that Canadians will not recoup the $40 billion in public funds spent on the project during the 20 year lifespan of its oil shipping contracts, according to regulatory filings. After...

Governments eager to land new fossil fuel projects, including but not only publicly-funded ones, turn to subsidies. But those are often less visible, taking the form of reduced tolls, regulatory concessions, lower electricity prices, reduction of other taxes. www.nationalobserver.com/2026/10/05/n...

In this case, at least some of the receipts are public - though not details of government-oil industry negotiations. But fossil fuel subsidies often take the form of agreements between govt and a private investor that are released only via an FOI request, and with heavy redactions.

Also critical to all this is that Canadian governments are themselves *in the fossil fuel business*. Mostly obviously when they're owners of infrastructure such as TM pipelines and proposed Pacific Link but provinces are also partners as constitutionally-designated owners of subsurface oil/gas/coal.

paulwells.substack.comMark Carney’s pipeline announcementThe text of Mark Carney’s announcement in Fort McMurray this morning. And Opposition reaction.

Cdn PM's address citing wildfires to exemplify resilience of Canada's oil industry, a CCS project that will not offset added GHGs and a promise to produce the lowest-C (heavy) oil *in 2050* to argue that a Mbpd pipeline advances "Canada's climate goals." paulwells.substack.com/p/mark-carne...

This is surely driven by other things - the looming separation referendum in Alberta, and reducing Canada's economic dependence on exports to the US (though oil isn't a sector Trump has applied tariffs to) - but c'mon, let's stop pretending that increasing carbon emissions is good for climate.

paulwells.substack.comMark Carney’s pipeline announcementThe text of Mark Carney’s announcement in Fort McMurray this morning. And Opposition reaction.

With thanks to Paul Wells. Somehow I can't seem to find the original post from which I got the link.

Vancouverites! The amazing Leah Stokes will be at #UBC tomorrow to talk about her new book, The Carbon Wave, which tells a very personal, and very moving, story about how the US Inflation Reduction Act was conceived and passed. Join us! Registration here: ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

I anticipate that the central issue in BC's election will be whether we should be having an election. #BCpoli

Was in meeting so missed 1st part of David Eby's election announcement. I'm fascinating that he used the analogy of "building the firebreak" and not "throwing fuel on the fire" in light of recent climate/fossil energy policy changes. Did he mention climate earlier? Anyone got text of speech?

Kathryn Harrison reposted

Gabe De Roche

@gabederoche.bsky.social

16 July

New survey research released today with @mattomildenberger.bsky.social -- a response to the "don't say climate change" crowd. Many have observed that climate change has moved down voters' list of priorities and have concluded that pro-climate policies would cost votes. That's testable! 🧵[1/13]

12 Sept

Reflecting further on @climateinstitute.bsky.social's analysis published yesterday. Not included in the figure below is what difference the Carney government has made to the 2030-2050 projections through weakening + abandoning climate policies and supporting projects that will increase emissions. /1

Canadian Climate Institute@climateinstitute.bsky.social

NEW: Canada’s emissions are now more than 20 years behind on the country’s 2030 target. Our latest analysis shows the policy choices that have Canada lagging and explains how to get back on track. 👇 https://440megatonnes.ca/insight/net-zero-canada-more-than-20-years-behind-2030-target/

12 Sept

The fall 2025 govt and CCI projections already incorporated some 2025 changes so I looked to the prev progress report. Huge difference! But getting close to the 2030 target depended on 1. policies in progress being adopted and 2. follow through on others. /2 climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/u...

12 Sept

Other things in modelling prob changed (e.g., oil prices) + pre-2025 there was some progress (CER, CH4) but also (if I'm recalling timing) weakening of the oil/gas emissions cap proposal. Still my takeaways: plans require actual policy implementation; and recent policy shifts have huge consequences.

Centre for Climate Justice

11 Sept

👇👇👇!! The PM insists Canada is committed to net zero in 2050, but repealed and weakened policies mean we'll be lucky to hit our 2030 target by 2050. Getting to net zero demands adopting policies NOW to ensure longterm transition. You don't get to your destination by going in the opposite direction.

Canadian Climate Institute@climateinstitute.bsky.social

Kathryn Harrison reposted

@ccj-ubc.bsky.social

2 Sept

📣 Join us to hear author and UC Santa Barbara political science professor @leahstokes.bsky.social sit down for a timely discussion with UBC political science professor Kathryn Harrison about her new book. 🔗 Register: shorturl.at/lj036 📅 September 29 ⏰ 3:30–5:00 PM 📍 Franklin Lew Forum, Allard

theglobeandmail.comOttawa issues comprehensive climate report that reflects country’s physical transformationFrom retreating glaciers to wildfires and marine heat waves, climate change will likely become even more pronounced, assessment finds

Remarkable that fed govt released such an important report quietly just before a long weekend and the Minister wasn't available for comment. Same strategy for the Net Zero Act progress report last fall. Both in stark contrast to earlier reports.

André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social

From retreating glaciers to wildfires and marine heat waves, the impacts climate change will likely become even more pronounced in Canada, federal assessment finds, by @jennthornhillverma.bsky.social @ivansemeniuk.bsky.social www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/scien... via @theglobeandmail.com

Not sure the "Tragedy of the Horizon" analogy works when we're at that horizon yet still resisting action. I'm thinking Mark Carney underestimated Cdn govts' unwillingness to forgo $* from oil/gas. * As owners, prov govts are themselves in the oil/gas business www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/scien...

pianos.pubPublic pianos in Canada | pianos.pubFind public pianos in Canada, see their locations, and check recent availability reports.

If you're a NYT subscriber, highly recommend the "Good List" weekly email of quirky, happy things. My fave this week is a site that shares word-wide locations of public pianos. I LOVE them! Looks like my home province, BC, has the highest per capita share, but QC ftw! pianos.pub/location/can...

*world-wide

3 Sept

To honour Gloria Steinem, let us all -- women and men -- undertake an "outrageous act and everyday rebellion" to advance social justice today. And then again tomorrow, and the next day... Feel free to share below what you're going to do or did.

@lindsaytedds.bsky.social

3 Sept

Led by "structural reductions in transport oil demand driven by electrification. Sinopec had forecast 6% and 5% drops in diesel and petrol consumption this year ... before the start of the war on Iran. Actual sales fell 9%" in first half of 2026. Not a great time to spend $40B on a pipeline.

Carbon Brief@carbonbrief.org

NEW – Analysis: China’s CO2 emissions fall in Q2 2026 due to plummeting oil use | @laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social Read here: buff.ly/P3nHdbA

Kathryn Harrison reposted

Dr Lindsay Tedds

2 Sept

Perfection. No notes. Endorse

Alex Usher@alexusherhesa.bsky.social

Here is my letter to the MacDonald Laurier Institute on the subject of their appalling research. Use as you will. I recommend sending something of your own, though. And if you know anyone associated with MLI - and Board directors, say - send it to them, too.

docs.google.comAlex Usher email to Brian Lee Crowley(text of an email sent to Brian Lee Crowley of the MacDonald Laurier Institute on September 2, 2026) Dear Brian, I am writing to you and your board with respect to the publication “The equity excelle...

28 Aug

Vancouverites: @leahstokes.bsky.social will be at #UBC 9/29 to talk about her new book, which is both an expert and personal account of passage of the US IRA. It's truly inspiring (despite Republican rollbacks) and we can all use some of that. Register here: ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

27 Aug

Losing Dolly and Tim Curry the same day? no no no

thetyee.caIn the Fraser Valley, a New Oil Pipeline Faces Mountains of Challenges | The TyeeGetting through the steep, narrow stretch cost Trans Mountain billions. But Alberta’s plans to avoid a repeat is full of holes.

26 Aug

Insights from @tyolsen.bsky.social, who really knows the Fraser Valley! A New Oil Pipeline Faces Mountains of Challenges: “It really seems to me like they’re picking names off; somebody in Alberta is circling names on a map and making that their submission.” @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/Analysis/202...

27 Aug

To clarify, @tyolsen.bsky.social is a journalist. The quote is from an expert source, not Olsen’s own words.

cbc.caFULL SPEECH | Carney explains why Canada suspended trade talks with U.S.Prime Minister Mark Carney explained why the government chose not to sign a trade deal with American counterparts as U.S. President Donald Trump's 50 per cent tariffs on almost $30 billion of Canadian...

22 Aug

American friends, watch this if you want to understand the depth of Canadians’ anger about this trade war. And our determination. We will not be broken. www.cbc.ca/player/play/...

thenarwhal.caBC Hydro just bought a gas power plant | The NarwhalB.C. committed to generating only clean energy by 2030. Despite emissions reductions in mind because of wildfires, it bought a gas plant on Vancouver Island

22 Aug

It’s literal gaslighting to increase fossil gas consumption in the name of climate action. #bcpoli thenarwhal.ca/bc-hydro-buy...

gazette.gc.caCanada Gazette, Part 1, Volume 160, Number 33: Regulations Amending the Passenger Automobile and Light Truck Greenhouse Gas Emission RegulationsAugust 15, 2026, Part 1, Volume 160, Number 33, Canada Gazette

15 Aug

Canada is repealing its EV Available Standard to achieve 100% EV passenger vehicle sales by 2035. Although the govt has stated its intent to adopt regs equivalent to 75% by 2035, there's no text or schedule for that. Not holding my breath given Can-US trade negotiation gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/202...

edinburghlive.co.ukHuge Edinburgh crowds gather on Calton Hill to watch 'man fold a fitted sheet'"The real spirit of the Fringe is not dead"

12 Aug

I would have gone. www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinbur...

thetyee.caTrans Mountain Looks to Slash Pipeline Shipping Fees | The TyeeThe deal would leave the public on the hook for more of the TMX megaproject’s cost overruns.

11 Aug

The fossil fuel subsidies just keep coming. The claim that TMX is making "oodles of money" (as Cdn Energy Minister described it) rests on clever accounting that downplays cost to taxpayers to build it. Trans Mountain Looks to Slash Pipeline Shipping Fees via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/News/2026/08...

nationalobserver.comThe country is burning. The feds are hushingCanada’s conversation about why heatwaves are happening and the federal government's plans to address the crisis are both as quiet as they have been in a decade.

11 Aug

Important analysis of how media report on climate and, separately, wildfires: industry, technology, and (distant!) net zero depicted positively; government/policy essential to achieve that goal more negatively. victimshttps://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/08/11/opinion/ottawa-climate-crisis-hushing

theguardian.comHuman-driven climate crisis fuels Canada’s deadly wildfires, study findsCurrent blazes roaring across country more than twice as likely to occur because of fossil fuel-driven global heating

6 Aug

And it will keep getting worse as long as we keep burning fossil fuels. And no, no one’s suggesting we can do that overnight. But we have alternatives and we need to deploy them with greater urgency. The sooner we do, the better the outcome.

Guardian Environment@environment.theguardian.com

Human-driven climate crisis fuels Canada’s deadly wildfires, study finds

6 Aug

My month-old grandchild is breathing unsafe air from wildfires. Canadians are evacuated and losing homes to wildfires. Firefighters are risking their lives. Cities across Europe are under red alert for life-threatening heat. And our political leaders are promising to expand oil and gas production.

thetyee.caCan Eby Manage Growing NDP Divisions on LNG and Pipelines? | The TyeeDuelling cabinet statements on the Tilbury project expose growing fault lines on emissions and risk of pollution.

6 Aug

Can Eby Manage Growing NDP Divisions on LNG and Pipelines? via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/Opinion/2026...

2 Aug

4 stories on wildfire evacuations in news section of Globe & Mail yesterday, then these 3 in business section on booming profits of oil/gas companies that cause the problem. Worse than failure to link those the news stories, Canada is increasing subsidies for oil/gas as the world burns. #cdnpoli

31 July

Thoughts on announcement of a buyer for 2MT/yr of Ksi Lisims LNG for "up to 20 years," wording consistent with financial uncertainty for LNG as importers transition to domestic renewables. So we're de-risking private investments with public $$ and regulatory concessions. www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

29 July

New Angus Reid poll: attention to climate is rebounding and voters most concerned are moving to the NDP and Bloc, causing the Liberal lead over CPC to shrink from 13% (Feb) to 4% (July). Decline in attention doesn't mean voters support weakening climate policies! angusreid.org/climate-vote...

Kathryn Harrison reposted

Trevor Tombe

@trevortombe.bsky.social

There's a lot of variation across #cdnecon in exposure to the new 50% U.S. tariffs (on August 19). Here's a preliminary estimate of the share of exports affected (based on HS6, so a slight over-estimate). BC/ON/QC most exposed. Others far less so.

ow.lyThe dangerous false choice in how we talk about extreme heatAdaptation measures against heatwaves — like improving access to air conditioning — are framed as the prudent yet neglected priority.

Yes! We need both to fix the underlying problem and save lives in the meantime. If we only do the latter, warming will quickly outpace our ability to adapt, even for those fortunate enough to afford a/c. And the mighty heat pump does both! Reduces emissions by displacing gas and provides cooling.

Canadian Climate Institute@climateinstitute.bsky.social

An emerging debate over how to best protect people seeking an escape from heat waves in air conditioned-indoors is degrading into a false choice between reducing emissions or adapting to climate change. Read more from Ryan Ness. https://ow.ly/MG6w50ZqTfc

Kathryn Harrison reposted

Canadian Climate Institute

@climateinstitute.bsky.social

ow.lyNot all carbon market price floors are created equalThe “administrative” carbon market price floor proposed by the Alberta-Canada MOU will entrench oversupply in credit markets over time.

The Canada-Alberta MOU on carbon pricing promised a fix for Alberta’s carbon market: too many carbon credits meant low prices were undermining investment to reduce emissions. But the proposed solution makes this problem worse. Read more from Dale Beugin https://ow.ly/1Wf050ZqR60

Wow www.theglobeandmail.com/world/us-pol...

theglobeandmail.comCarney offered to double oil exports to U.S. as part of potential deal, Hoekstra saysTwo cabinet officials were eager about the pitch, but Trump held them back, according to the U.S. ambassador

20 July

Canadians increasingly believe wildfires are a new normal (30%) or will worsen (56%) yet acceptance that climate change is due to human activity has declined 71% to 59% in 5 yrs. NB: a deep partisan divide with deniers either sorting to CPC or persuaded by co-partisans. angusreid.org/wildfire-fea...