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Kathryn Harrison

@profkharrison.bsky.social
7.9K followers 421 following 844 posts

Climate policy researcher, UBC Professor, chemical engineer, political scientist, feminist, cyclist. Persistently hopeful, but losing patience!

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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
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_...
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I anticipate that the central issue in BC's election will be whether we should be having an election. #BCpoli
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
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?
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Gabe De Roche @gabederoche.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
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]
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
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
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
👇👇👇!! The PM insists Canada is committed to net zero in 2050, but repealed and weakened policies mean we'll be lucky to hit our 2030 target by 2050.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.
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Centre for Climate Justice @ccj-ubc.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
📣 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
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
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.
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
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...
theglobeandmail.com
Ottawa issues comprehensive climate report that reflects country’s physical transformation
From retreating glaciers to wildfires and marine heat waves, climate change will likely become even more pronounced, assessment finds
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
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...
pianos.pub
Public pianos in Canada | pianos.pub
Find public pianos in Canada, see their locations, and check recent availability reports.
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
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.
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
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.
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Dr Lindsay Tedds @lindsaytedds.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Perfection. No notes. Endorse
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
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_...
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Losing Dolly and Tim Curry the same day? no no no
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
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...
thetyee.ca
In the Fraser Valley, a New Oil Pipeline Faces Mountains of Challenges | The Tyee
Getting through the steep, narrow stretch cost Trans Mountain billions. But Alberta’s plans to avoid a repeat is full of holes.
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
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/...
cbc.ca
FULL 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...
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
It’s literal gaslighting to increase fossil gas consumption in the name of climate action. #bcpoli thenarwhal.ca/bc-hydro-buy...
thenarwhal.ca
BC Hydro just bought a gas power plant | The Narwhal
B.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
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
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...
gazette.gc.ca
Canada Gazette, Part 1, Volume 160, Number 33: Regulations Amending the Passenger Automobile and Light Truck Greenhouse Gas Emission Regulations
August 15, 2026, Part 1, Volume 160, Number 33, Canada Gazette
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
I would have gone. www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinbur...
edinburghlive.co.uk
Huge Edinburgh crowds gather on Calton Hill to watch 'man fold a fitted sheet'
"The real spirit of the Fringe is not dead"
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
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...
thetyee.ca
Trans Mountain Looks to Slash Pipeline Shipping Fees | The Tyee
The deal would leave the public on the hook for more of the TMX megaproject’s cost overruns.
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
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
nationalobserver.com
The country is burning. The feds are hushing
Canada’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.
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
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.
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
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.
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Can Eby Manage Growing NDP Divisions on LNG and Pipelines? via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/Opinion/2026...
thetyee.ca
Can Eby Manage Growing NDP Divisions on LNG and Pipelines? | The Tyee
Duelling cabinet statements on the Tilbury project expose growing fault lines on emissions and risk of pollution.
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
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
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
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-...
cbc.ca
© CBC/Radio-Canada 2026. All rights reserved.
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
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...
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Trevor Tombe @trevortombe.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
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.
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
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.
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Canadian Climate Institute @climateinstitute.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
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 ow.ly/1Wf050ZqR60
ow.ly
Not all carbon market price floors are created equal
The “administrative” carbon market price floor proposed by the Alberta-Canada MOU will entrench oversupply in credit markets over time.
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Wow www.theglobeandmail.com/world/us-pol...
theglobeandmail.com
Carney offered to double oil exports to U.S. as part of potential deal, Hoekstra says
Two cabinet officials were eager about the pitch, but Trump held them back, according to the U.S. ambassador
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
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...
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
People running for their lives. Wildfires destroying whole communities. Millions breathing unsafe smoky air. In Europe, thousands dying in extreme heat. And Canada plans to increase oil and gas production. Fossil fuel revenues, like tobacco, are both addictive and deadly. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
'It's a miracle': First Nation members escape northwestern Ontario wildfire as community burns to the ground | CBC News
Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, also known as Collins First Nation, has been destroyed by a wildfire that spans over 350,000 hectares in northwestern Ontario. Community leaders spoke to CBC News about...
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Ness makes clear why we need both to adapt to an increasingly hot world, via a/c, heatpumps, and bldg design, AND reduce emissions. “Adaptation without continuing to reduce emissions is bailing a boat without plugging the hole.” www.nationalobserver.com/2026/07/17/n...
nationalobserver.com
How we talk about extreme heat
There's no sense in arguing over whether to protect people from deadly heat today, or cut emissions to prevent the problem from getting worse tomorrow. We need both to fight climate change and save li...
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Magical golden hour on Hornby Island with soundtrack of humpbacks breathing and deep vocalizing. So cool!
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
@amyjanzwood.bsky.social brings 🔥 "Canadians are being asked to accept a multibillion-dollar, taxpayer-funded pipeline on faith that long-term oil demand will materialize because politicians say so. But vibes do not build a pipeline." www.nationalobserver.com/2026/07/10/o...
nationalobserver.com
A pipeline to nowhere: Carney’s dangerous political game
Canadians are being sold a story about energy security, economic competitiveness and national interest. Yet a hypothetical new oilsands pipeline would not lower gas prices for Canadians.
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
I am so tired of straight white men who get called out for their heinous behaviour blaming “the system,” as if they’d ever have made it so far without systemic privilege.
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
In Canada we call fossil fuel subsidies "catalysing investments."
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
2025 will prob show an even steeper slope as importers react to global oil price spike. This is why I'm skeptical a pipeline coming onstream in 2034 is a good public investment. Yes I've heard the arguments that importers want democratic oil, but for how long when domestic renewables are cheaper?
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
This ad playing during the World Cup feels positively Orwellian as the government of Canada advocates LNG expansion and commits tens of billions of tax dollars to a million barrel per day heavy oil pipeline. Fossil fuels= world class energy? Black = white?
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The Beaverton @thebeaverton.com · 04/07/2026
News In Photo:
ICE to deport losers of Canada - Morocco match, also winners
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Canadian boys are doing us all proud. Playing like the girls! 🇨🇦⚽️❤️
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
“Democratic oil” and LNG won’t fix this.
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Brian Platt @brianplatt.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
The Alberta government's submission to the major projects office includes this map, and confirms it's proposed to end at Roberts Bank in the lower mainland. open.alberta.ca/dataset/a529...
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Thinking the federal govt had to agree to put money on the table - now called "investment" rather than fossil fuel subsidies/finance - to get Alberta to accept a southern route. That AB and fed ownership shares aren't yet decided smacks of a last-minute deal.
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
CBC News is referencing many federal "gifts to BC" in today's MOU but other than $3B for the Massey Tunnel replacement no $ amounts are specified for the rest: environmental liability fund, revised BC deal for TMX expansion, $ for BC new pipeline, $ for Red Chris, LNG, park in NW, NCTL, childcare.
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
I'm fascinated that this is the big takeaway. And embarrassed how much I overestimated public knowledge on climate! Folks: Canada was not on track to meet our 2030 and 2035 targets even before the government weakened a bunch of climate policies. How was that NOT going to result in higher emissions?
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Kathryn Harrison @profkharrison.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Thoughts - The PM is good at this. P Poilievre should be nervous. - PM Carney truly believes electrification is the future and that's good for Canada's economy, affordability, climate. - Argues for LNG + pipeline on grounds oil/gas will still be used and we're a trusted source post-Iran war. But...
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Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Paris funeral homes overwhelmed after record heatwave
france24.com
Paris funeral homes overwhelmed after record heatwave
France on Monday counted its heat-related deaths, as a funeral business representative said Paris morgues have been overwhelmed by a spike in fatalities during a record-breaking heatwave.
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