Rick Smith Journalist Profile

Articles

Ten good news stories on climate and clean energy in 2024

Dec 18, 2024 | corporateknights.com | Rick Smith

Another year is drawing to a close with everyone gathering their top lists of 2024. And while you’re revisiting the best the world had to offer in pop culture, music and the arts, it’s worth a reminder of all the good-news stories on climate and clean energy progress that graced our screens in 2024. There was a lot to choose from – something that may not be immediately apparent in the aftermath of the U.S. election and news that 2024 will almost certainly be the hottest on record.
Opinion: With Trump in the White House, expect the states to take charge on climate progress

Nov 18, 2024 | theglobeandmail.com | Rick Smith
Opinion: An energy-sector transition to net zero that's fair to all

Sep 20, 2023 | edmontonjournal.com | Sara Hastings-Simon |Rick Smith

• Article content What’s the best way to get Canada’s oil and gas sector on a pathway to net zero? This week, conversations at Climate Week in New York and the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary are framing very different answers to that question — without much overlap.
This could be the worst summer of our lives, if we’re lucky

Jun 9, 2023 | nationalnewswatch.com | Rick Smith

So this is climate change: old familiar landmarks like the Peace Tower and the Brooklyn Bridge, swallowed by an orange miasma on a June afternoon in 2023. We thought it would be a polar bear struggling on a distant ice floe, or maybe sea level rise in 2080, long after we were gone. Turns out it’s school recess cancelled today, because the air is too toxic for young lungs. It’s a woman on a stretcher in a hospital hallway whose heart can’t take it. It’s N95 masks on the street—again.
This Earth Day we are embraced by signs of major global ambition

Apr 22, 2023 | nationalnewswatch.com | Rick Smith

There’s no denying it: the Earth is in a rough spot right now. The impacts of climate change are unignorable, and every year, it seems like they’re getting worse. Producing sustained, global efforts to reduce emissions has proved a tough nut to crack. But despite the planetary doom and gloom, I’m actually feeling pretty hopeful. Why? Big nutcrackers.
Opinion | This Earth Day we are embraced by signs of major global ambition

Apr 22, 2023 | thestar.com | Rick Smith

There’s no denying it: the Earth is in a rough spot right now. The impacts of climate change are unignorable, and every year, it seems like they’re getting worse. Producing sustained, global efforts to reduce emissions has proved a tough nut to crack. But despite the planetary doom and gloom, I’m actually feeling pretty hopeful. Why? Big nutcrackers.
PBO’s latest carbon pricing report has big flaws. Here are the facts.

Apr 6, 2023 | nationalnewswatch.com | Dale Beugin |Rick Smith

The Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO)’s latest effort to quantify the economic effects of carbon pricing has significant flaws that lead to mistaken conclusions. But before we dive into the flaws, let’s start with what it gets right: The PBO confirms that 80 per cent of Canadian households will get more money back than they pay in most provinces. Climate Action Incentive rebates are lowering costs. They ensure carbon pricing is fair for lower-income Canadians.
Going electric will save Canadians money on energy costs

Mar 20, 2023 | corporateknights.com | Rick Smith

Climate change and affordability are closely intertwined. The impacts of the climate crisis already cost Canadians an average of $720 per year for things like repairs after flooding or wildfires – and that price tag is expected to double or triple by 2050. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions can help mitigate these impacts and their costs. The Canadian Climate Institute has explored in detail Canada’s options for getting to net-zero emissions.
Opinion | Five ways provinces can drive climate policy forward in Canada

Feb 12, 2023 | thestar.com | Dale Beugin |Rick Smith

Whether it’s health care, child care, or climate change, major policy advances in Canada’s federal system require federal and provincial governments rowing together — or we just end up going in circles. And while 2022 saw big advances on climate policy in Canada, they almost all came from just one order of government.