Sustainability

Canada’s new Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Action Plan has UBC experts doubtful that paper designs will be economical or environmentally viable in the long run. More from Prof. Ramana, Prof. Nadja Kunz (SPPGA & UBC Mining) and MPPGA Alumna Sarah Froese.

With ore grade decline, mine closure concerns, and increased risks of flooding and water scarcity, the mining sector needs to focus their attention on the importance of water issues, writes Professor Nadja Kunz (SPPGA & UBC Mining).

Professor Ramana critiques the business case for small modular reactors as politicians look to nuclear power as the future in New Brunswick.

Today, the nuclear industry is thinking small, but whether there will be a market after they foot the bill remains to be seen, asserts Professor Ramana.

Read Professor David Boyd’s (SPPGA; IRES) recap, as the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, for December 2020, including reports, legal advocacy updates, press releases and compilations of recent online events.

Greenpeace’s documentary series, Ocean Witness, invites Professor Rashid Sumaila (SPPGA & UBC Oceans) to share “moments of magic and heartbreak from land and sea, investigating threats to our oceans, and sharing solutions for what we can do to help”.

“Before we were worried about fossil fuels and plastic pollution, nuclear waste stretched our minds to think about our place in geological time.” Vincent Ialenti proposes that considering the magnitude of humanity’s impact on the planet is now our collective responsibility.

Professor Rashid Sumaila (SPPGA & Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries) and others have published a Blue Paper on how we can transition towards a more sustainable ocean economy. The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy report features 14 sitting heads of states and government, including Prime Minister Trudeau.

On October 27, David Boyd presented a report to the United Nations General Assembly. He looks at the link between human rights and a healthy environment, and how the right to a healthy environment can hold governments and businesses accountable.

Read Professor Matias Margulis’ (SPPGA/Land and Food Systems) latest publication on how international organizations employ intervention strategies to influence decision-making in the regime complex for food security. More at Springer Open.

“The pandemic is blowing a fiscal hole in government budgets around the world.” Professor George Hoberg and Kingsley Eze (MPPGA 2019 Cohort) speak on how Article 9 of the Paris Agreement is at risk due to the inaction of wealthy countries. More at Asparagus Magazine.

Find out how Professor Navin Ramankutty (SPPGA & IRES) uses Earth observing data to study global patterns of agricultural land use and the environmental impacts of these actions. Read more from his profile with NASA Earthdata.

SPPGA Professor Ramana, the Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security, disputes what small modular nuclear reactor advocates claim to be a prospective business opportunity in New Brunswick. Read more at NB Media Co-op.

The Canadian International Resources and Development Institute has announced the release of its Year in Review, highlighting the Institute’s biggest achievements and initiatives from 2019-2020.

Following low prices and demand for wild salmon during the pandemic, commercial fishermen are faced with another hurdle. Fraser River sockeye stocks appear to be collapsing – for real this time. Professor Rashid Sumaila (SPPGA & Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries) is cited in Business in Vancouver.

The energy costs associated with small modular reactors exceed those of diesel-based electricity. Policy-makers should focus on renewables, argue SPPGA Professor Ramana, Professor Nadja Kunz (SPPGA & Mining Engineering), and MPPGA alumna Sarah Froese. Read the article in Policy Options.

Fish populations in Canada need to be urgently rebuilt, but short-term socio-economic concerns often slow down or even prevent the process of rebuilding stocks, declares a new study. UBC news interviews authors, including Professor Rashid Sumaila (SPPGA & Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries), on findings.

A report has found evidence that at least 30 per cent of the planet’s land and ocean must be protected to address the alarming collapse of the natural world, which now threatens up to one million species with extinction. Professor Rashid Sumaila (SPPGA & Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries) is cited in The Guardian Nigeria.

Can deterrence truly succeed in preventing nuclear weapons from deployment during this atomic age? In this The Hindu article he has co-written, SPPGA Professor Ramana explores the issues around the notion of deterrence, the illusions of control for nuclear weapon states, and nuclear vulnerabilities.

The novel coronavirus pandemic is having a profound impact on marine wildlife — and it’s both good and bad. Researchers including Professor Rashid Sumaila (SPPGA & UBC Institute for the Oceans) is part of the discussion on marine traffic reduction, plastic pollution rise, and more.

SPPGA Professor Ramana provides an in-depth look at small modular nuclear reactors, their history and potential, on a podcast published by the Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines.

UBC, UC announce University Climate Change Coalition leadership transition via UBC News.

Did you know that it costs somewhere between 10-15 billion USD to build a nuclear power plant? If India is looking at development by increasing power consumption, it is essential that it opts for cheaper forms of energy, states SPPGA Professor Ramana. Learn more about ‘The future of nuclear energy’ webinar at Free Press Journal.

We must reduce the burning of fossil fuels to save our planet — but should nuclear energy be part of the solution? SPPGA Professor Ramana and MPPGA Alumni Schyler Edmundson take part in The Toronto Star’s The Big Debate.

The world’s stockpile of nuclear weapons—estimated at over 13,400 at the beginning of 2020 – have a least one thing in common with humans: they are “retired” when they reach old age. But what happens to these “retired” weapons? SPPGA Professor Ramana speaks on retiring nuclear arsenals to the Inter Press Service News Agency.

“The ocean is our life.” Professor Rashid Sumaila (SPPGA & UBC Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries) contributes to Rebeldes del Mar, a book that recognizes the “courage, fight, and creativity” of those who confront the questions and paradigms pertaining to today’s fisheries and ocean sustainability.

Our seas are under pressure. Overfishing, acidity, pollution are decimating fish stocks. We all feel it is bad – but how bad is it really? Join Professor Rashid Sumaila (SPPGA & UBC Institute for the Oceans) as he sits down with Highgrade Media Production’s podcast to discuss the big question of fishing sustainability.

On Canada’s west coast, oil spill cleanup capacity is expanding. But is it enough? Professor Rashid Sumaila (SPPGA & UBC Institute for the Oceans) sits down with Hakai Magazine to discuss Canada’s preparations for the next big spill.

The Federal Court of Appeal’s ruling could be the start of a much wider grass-roots conflict, according to SPPGA Professor George Hoberg.