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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦

@robb-barnes.bsky.social
1.8K followers 1.3K following 645 posts

Climate action ⚡️ Health ⚕️ Plant-based food 🌱 Cities 🏙️ “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The world is fast approaching a series of major climate-induced shifts. For those following the developments, keep your eyes on the oceans, which are the main thermoregulators of Earth's climate system.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The world is fast approaching a series of major climate-induced shifts. For those following the developments, keep your eyes on the oceans, which are the main thermoregulators of Earth's climate system.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Here's some free advice to politicians. Yes, oil pipelines are having a moment in terms of public support. But you know what Canadians hate? Publicly subsidizing the oil and gas industry while climate change rampages out of control. www.nationalobserver.com/2026/09/29/n...
nationalobserver.com
Doug Ford says he'll spend public money on east-west oil pipeline
Ontario’s premier sees no reason why it should take more than four years to build a 3,300 kilometre pipeline between Alberta and his province. “We just believe that it can get done,” he said.
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Reposted by Robb Barnes 🇨🇦
Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This is a major problem: Canadian media aren't connecting the dots on wildfires and climate change. If we want to get serious about tackling wildfires in a heating world, we need to know a major cause: burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. reclimate.ca/what-canadas...
reclimate.ca
What Canada’s Wildfire Media Coverage Is Missing: Climate Change - Re.Climate
When wildfires strike, the news focuses on what’s happening now. But Canadians also need to understand why wildfires are getting worse and what can be done to solve it.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Politicians in Canada are afraid to admit the truth: tackling climate change means phasing out coal, oil + gas. Germany has a plan to do it in 19 years. Does Canada really want to sell the last drop of oil in a world on fire? www.ctvnews.ca/world/articl...
ctvnews.ca
Germany maps out fossil fuel exit, backing EVs, heat pumps
Germany’s cabinet approved a roadmap on Wednesday to phase out coal, oil and gas by 2045, reaffirming a climate strategy focused on electrification despite a minister’s call for more flexibility on ca...
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This feels timely. Let's add some nuance to the noise. "The health behaviours with the strongest evidence are often the least exciting: regular movement, enough sleep, not smoking, sustainable eating patterns ... and access to primary care." healthydebate.ca/2026/09/abou...
healthydebate.ca
Most wellness trends aren’t wrong. They’re just not always worth it - Healthy Debate
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
As the Ontario government doubles down on nuclear refurbishments, we should all be asking ourselves how much the energy context has changed since 1986. Hint: a lot! Do we really want to sink billions into expensive and underperforming nuclear when renewables have never been cheaper?
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Reposted by Robb Barnes 🇨🇦
Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
My latest @newscientist.com cartoon. many more here: www.newscientist.com/author/tom-gauld/
Image: A graph with lots of red dots clustered together in a curve. The are all looking upwards at a single red dot wearing sunglasses. 

Caption: Mike was an outlier and would probably be excluded from the study, but all the other data points secretly thought he was really cool.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
El Niño is entering uncharted territory well before its expected peak. This will provide a glimpse of the climate chaos to come, and a powerful lesson in the urgency of lowering emissions now. Every fraction of a degree matters for lives and livelihoods.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
As it turns out, large portions of the Canadian public don't like publicly subsidizing pipelines in 2026 any more than they did when Trudeau bought Trans Mountain in 2018. Politicians should be paying close attention. www.theenergymix.com/solid-majori...
theenergymix.com
Solid Majorities of Liberal Voters in 12 Ontario Ridings Oppose Pipeline Subsidies, Environmental Rollbacks: New Poll
The Carney government’s plan to subsidize the new West Coast Pipeline and roll back environmental protections is harming its standing with voters in a dozen key ridings in Ontario, according to pollin...
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
So-called "regenerative agriculture" is a lot of industry spin. Don't buy claims that it can somehow make beef climate-friendly. Grazing cattle is the single largest land-use humans have undertaken, with seismic impacts on climate and the environment drawdown.org/insights/eig...
drawdown.org
Eight reasons regenerative grazing can’t make beef climate-friendly
An influential regenerative grazing movement continues to grow. But here's why the science doesn't back up the purported climate benefits.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Bike lanes as woke culture war idols is one of the most unfortunate bits of Trumpism coming out of the Ford government at the moment. Bikes are actually just a healthy way to get around, and one that takes traffic off the road. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Why is the Trump administration calling bike lanes ‘DEI’? | Dave Schilling
The government apparently has an issue with paths for cyclists. Take it from someone who can’t ride a bike: this makes no sense
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
We already knew air pollution damaged mental health, but new research shows it's associated with an increased risk of suicide and suicidal thoughts. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Air pollution linked to higher suicide risk, international research suggests
Analysis of 29 studies highlights potentially heightened danger from small particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Now for some good news. Trump may be the most accidental environmentalist in history - fallout from the war in Iran has caused global fossil-fuel emissions to fall by around 0.5% in 2026. The world has never been more eager to switch to renewables. www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-glo...
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Along with 99% of humanity, I'm hoping the US midterms turn Trump into the lame duck he was always meant to be. The climate crisis hasn't gone away, and urgently needs attention. Canada is now 20 years behind. www.theenergymix.com/canada-is-no...
theenergymix.com
Canada Now More Than 20 Years Behind Its 2030 Emissions Target, With Net-Zero Nowhere in Sight
The latest analysis from 440 Megatonnes shows that the country’s current climate policy package would leave emissions stubbornly high through mid-century.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Retroactively revising a climate assessment to recast worst-case climate scenarios as implausible is peak ostrich territory, even for the Trump administration. www.latimes.com/environment/...
latimes.com
Trump administration wants to revise the latest National Climate Assessment — three years after publication
Experts said amending the finalized federal climate report would be unprecedented.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This is damning, and appropriately so. The federal government was one of the last bulwarks for climate action in Canada. Now they're dozing asleep at the wheel. "At the current rate, [Canada] ... will be lucky to hit its 2030 target in 2050." 440megatonnes.ca/insight/net-...
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Anyone communicating on climate change has been told to focus on good news stories, or tie in the issue du jour (e.g., affordability) for maximum success. All to the good. But we must also tell the terrifying truth if we expect real change. www.hilltimes.com/2026/09/07/i...
hilltimes.com
It’s time to stop sugar-coating the climate crisis - The Hill Times
We are trapped on the up escalator, and we need to stop the warming now.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Wow! Un sondage Léger montre que 79 % des Québécois souhaitent obliger les grandes entreprises polluantes à payer pour les dommages climatiques. Merci aux électeurs du Québec d'avoir compris l'urgence de la situation. www.ledevoir.com/actualites/e...
ledevoir.com
Les Québécois veulent faire payer les dommages climatiques aux grands pollueurs
Un nouveau sondage révèle un fort soutien de cette proposition chez les sympathisants des cinq grands partis.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
"I believe if the hand of man has caused these difficulties in the ecosystems, then the hand of man should be out there, trying to make an improvement to the problems." www.cbc.ca/news/science...
cbc.ca
Streams are drying up in B.C. — and volunteers are racing to save fish | CBC News
As drought dries B.C. streams, volunteers are moving stranded salmon and other fish to deeper water. But scientists warn rescue efforts are becoming harder to sustain as waterways shrink and extreme h...
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
It's so great to see Nova Scotians embracing the energy transition for what it is: a massive opportunity for the province. www.theenergymix.com/2-3-of-nova-...
theenergymix.com
2/3 of Nova Scotians Support Wind West Project, with Questions Still to be Answered
With Nova Scotia getting closer to inviting bids for Canada’s first offshore wind farms, a new poll says nearly three-quarters of Nova Scotians “hold a positive impression of offshore wind energy” and...
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Canada is heating up - and is quite literally on fire in some places. Canada's future under a rapidly warming climate will make the floods, heat and fire of recent summers feel like a fond memory. Canada's governments have the tools to act. Now's the time. www.theenergymix.com/calls-for-fa...
theenergymix.com
Calls for Faster Electrification, Fossil Phaseout as Scientists Predict Massive Warming Across Canada
Last week’s Canada’s Changing Climate Report is a call for faster action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and shift the economy to clean electricity, analysts say, after the government reported that...
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
When the temperature heats up, so do emergency rooms. As Dr. Courtney Howard points out, "[T]he price of climate change is increased illness, strain on our health care system and health care costs." www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/world/heat-m...
thecanadianpressnews.ca
Heat makes emergency rooms busier. Study shows which illness and injuries rise during hot spells
WASHINGTON (AP) — When the temperature heats up, so do emergency rooms, according to a massive study of Chicago hospital and urgent care records, which found increased accidental gunshot wounds,
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Much of the world has made real progress against air pollution, but climate-fuelled heatwaves and wildfires are leading to disease and premature death. The good news? Clean energy helps tackle air pollution while also stemming the climate crisis. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Heatwaves and wildfires are setting back air quality improvements, UN finds
WMO report details extreme weather events causing climatic feedback loop with serious health consequences
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
For years, China was trotted out as the counterpoint to any argument for climate action. "What about China?," went the refrain. Now that China is leapfrogging the world in renewable energy, we should all take a closer look at what they're doing right.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Behold, as the Eye of Mordor gazes inward upon itself.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Like many boneheaded populist measures, free parking sounds benign on paper but is terrible in practice. Ottawa needs real policy debate in this election, not more red meat for people who want to drive and park downtown. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Free on-street parking would create bigger hurdles, urbanism groups say | CBC News
An Ottawa mayoral candidate's pitch to make on-street parking free would create more hurdles for drivers and not help businesses, some groups say.
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Reposted by Robb Barnes 🇨🇦
Strong Towns Ottawa @strongtownsottawa.ca · 15/03/2026
An amazing member of ours put together this graphic that really encapsulates perfectly the situation on Bank Street. There is only so much space available, and we must use it as efficiently as possible. Parking isn't that. Please sign up to delegate on March 30th in favour of bus lanes!
An OC Transpo #6 bus in a bus lane. Inside of the bus there are multiple people, each with a text showing what they're going to be doing. They say "Grabbing a bite to eat", "Going to Lansdowne", "Getting a haircut", "Bought groceries", and "Can finally fit on the bus". The final one was a user in a wheelchair.

Beside the bus there is a single person in a truck in the regular travel lane. Pointing to him it says "Just driving through". They have a thought bubble coming out from their head saying "That bus lane is going to ruin local business!".
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
‘Doug Ford has waged a Trump-like war on bike lanes. Here’s how Toronto can fight back.’ www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
This is from Environment Canada's new report on climate impacts. This report was quietly released today, with the minister not available for comment. This should be required reading for everyone in Canada. The climate crisis is here. Every action we take matters.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Uruguay, Denmark, Namibia and others are seizing momentum on clean and cheap energy. Canada has some serious catching up to do. - Canada is at 9% (well below the G7 ave. of 19%) - ON is around 10% - BC is around 5% - AB has new rules to restrict renewables (!)
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Alberta is again working to undermine renewables. After a ban on new builds, Smith has essentially add a new tax on solar. This damages AB jobs, energy resilience and climate action at a time when so many other places (Europe, China, India) are moving ahead. www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
thestar.com
Alberta government touts Oct. 1 launch of $14 solar panel recycling fee, landfill ban
Albertans purchasing new solar panels next month will face a hefty fee for recycling them.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Once the clear leader in Canada's clean energy transition, Alberta now needs to play catch-up after banning renewables. Canada can't afford the same own-goals as the US on clean energy. It's time to triple renewable energy production in every province.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Perhaps in a fit of masochism, I signed up for Macdonald Laurier Institute's newsletter(s). Their framing of the US-Canadian trade war as a bit of both sides-ism (see below) is absurd and out of touch. Why does the Canadian right think this is a viable messaging approach?
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
This year, as Canadians reeled from climate impacts and the world reeled from war, Canadian oil executives’ stock holdings increased by over $1 billion. It's time for an excess profits tax on oil and gas. www.desmog.com/2026/08/27/c...
desmog.com
Canadian Oil Executives’ Stock Holdings Increased by Over $1 Billion Amid War and Wildfires
Executives at Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Suncor, and Imperial Oil saw their personal stock holdings and options skyrocket this year, according to a DeSmog analysis.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Why is SK doubling down on coal? More coal costs >2x renewables. The upside? There isn't one. Coal is linked to cancer, heart attacks and pregnancy complications. And it turbocharges climate change. There is a better way. SK just needs to take it. www.theenergymix.com/coal-extensi...
theenergymix.com
Coal Extension Will Cost Saskatchewan 2x as Much as Renewables: Report
Set to become the last coal-dependent province in Canada, Saskatchewan is choosing the most expensive electricity option out to 2050, one that stands to squeeze household and business budgets just as ...
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
26,000,000 Canadians. 930 communities. Just as there are no atheists in foxholes, climate denial becomes impossible in a world on fire. There's still time to act. Phasing out fossil fuels needs to be humanity's primary mission www.theenergymix.com/26m-canadian...
theenergymix.com
26M Canadians in 930 Communities Faced Climate Impacts So Far This Year, New Map Shows
More than 26 million Canadians in more than 930 communities, more than 60% of the population, have personally faced the impacts of climate change so far this year, the #ElbowsUp for Climate campaign r...
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I have no doubt it's extremely hard to be a minister. But those who have gone before have lessons to offer. Here's one from Catherine McKenna: "[The oil + gas industry] made all these promises when I was minister and they broke all of them." corporateknights.com/leadership/c...
corporateknights.com
Catherine McKenna wants Canada to get smarter about climate and affordability | Corporate Knights
INTERVIEW | It's time to look beyond the United States and catch up to the rest of the world, the former environment minister says
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
If only Ford could stick to dumping on Trump. Unfortunately, he's got lots of power and some very retrograde ideas around congestion (hint: you solve it by removing cars and roads, not bike and bike lanes). He also seems intent on punishing Toronto. www.thestar.com/news/gta/for...
thestar.com
Doug Ford’s government is officially taking bids to remove 19 km of bike lanes from Toronto’s streets
Premier Doug Ford’s government has issued an RFP to remove more than 19 kilometres of protected bike lanes on major Toronto streets. Read more.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Politicians are once again singing the praises of pipelines, imagining they will us from a vindictive US. But serious analysis says a new pipeline is a very dodgy bet, especially since oil demand is slated to peak before the pipeline gets built. ieefa.org/articles/ass...
ieefa.org
Assessing Alberta’s proposed West Coast Oil Pipeline
September 1, 2026 (IEEFA) – The Government of Alberta is proposing a pipeline that could transport 1 million barrels of crude per day between Alberta and the West Coast of British Columbia, but the la...
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Seniors' + faith groups are doing some of the best climate organizing out there. Huge shout out to Seniors’ Climate Witness, who are conducting a cross-Canada caravan to bring home the reality of the climate crisis to Canadians. Learn more here: jwdgyrb.clicks.mlsend.com/tl/cl/eyJ2Ij...
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
From @politico.com's Ottawa bureau. It couldn't be more obvious: Canada wins the trade war if we bring the pain on energy prices. I'd say it's time to call up Danielle Smith, but she's on vacation in the US right now.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Air pollution may be damaging every organ and virtually every cell in the human body. Check out this great deep dive. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Revealed: air pollution may be damaging 'every organ in the body'
Exclusive: Comprehensive analysis finds harm from head to toe, including dementia, heart and lung disease, fertility problems and reduced intelligence
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Fossil fuels, and the wildfires they accelerate by way of global heating, are a disaster for public health - causing organ damage, miscarriages, dementia + more. But cities are leading the way with solutions that boost health in all sorts of ways. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Air pollution affects us all, but there is a way we can breathe easier
In this week’s newsletter: contaminants from fossil fuels, traffic and wildfires damage nearly every part of our bodies – but initiatives such as low-emission zones and cycle routes can make our citie...
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Great pice by Dr. Margaret McGregor. Carney talks about methane gas as a "transition fuel," but this is a classic fossil fuel industry canard. Methane gas is a trap - worsening climate and air quality impacts at a time when we desperately need clean energy. healthydebate.ca/2026/08/abou...
healthydebate.ca
PM’s misnomer of methane gas as a ‘transition fuel’ is distressing - Healthy Debate
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
My latest on Substack: Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for pervert glasses robbbarnes.substack.com/p/ask-not-wh...
robbbarnes.substack.com
Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for pervert glasses
Who would have thought that it would take pervert glasses to bridge the once-intractable divide between left and right?
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Climate change is exposing 583 million children to 20 extra ‘heat-stress days’ every year. This is intergenerational violence of the highest order. How long will we sacrifice the lives of future generations to prop up a failing status quo? www.carbonbrief.org/climate-chan...
carbonbrief.org
Climate change exposes 580 million children to 20 extra ‘heat-stress days’ every year - Carbon Brief
More than 40% of children under the age of 10 globally are already experiencing at least 20 additional “heat-stress days” due to climate change.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
For Canadians shocked and concerned about the avarice of the current US government, I can assure you that far worse is in store when the Americans run out of water. Climate change is a geopolitical threat multiplier of unparalleled proportions. www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-the...
carbonbrief.org
Analysis: The two largest reservoirs in the US have hit record-low levels - Carbon Brief
The second-largest reservoir in the US reached a record-low water height on Sunday days after the largest reservoir broke its own record.
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Robb Barnes 🇨🇦 @robb-barnes.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
In a world of mounting climate impacts and super cheap renewables, fracking is exactly the wrong move at exactly the wrong time. Canada is in a trade war. We need to be smart about economic development while protecting the land and communities we cherish. www.theenergymix.com/new-brunswic...
theenergymix.com
New Brunswick to Review Fracking Ban Amid U.S. Tariffs, Economic Pressures, Premier Says
New Brunswick’s Liberal government is considering whether it should drop its longstanding ban on natural gas fracking, saying it’s looking for ways to boost its economy and secure Canada’s energy inde...
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