Reading Time: 5 minutesDisponible en français. International Ozone Protection Day, or World Ozone Day, is marked every year on 16 September – the date the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (the Montreal Protocol) was signed in 1987. This HillNote… Read More ›
climate change
The Constitution, Carbon Pricing and Environmental Assessment
Reading Time: 5 minutesDisponible en français. Two environmental laws. Two constitutional challenges. Two Supreme Court of Canada (Supreme Court) opinions. Two different outcomes. An examination of two recent environmental law cases demonstrates the reach and limitations of the federal government’s ability to make… Read More ›
Wildfire Management: A Statistical and Jurisdictional Portrait
Reading Time: 7 minutesDisponible en français. The size and impact of wildfires in Canada has grown over the past 20 years. This HillNote provides a statistical portrait of wildfires in Canada since 2005, including the personnel mobilized to respond to them and the… Read More ›
The Home Insurance Market and Severe Weather Events in Canada
Reading Time: 6 minutesDisponible en français. Given the growing frequency and intensity of severe weather events around the world, like hurricanes, wildfires, floods and violent storms, households have had to make increasingly costly home insurance claims. Canada has not been spared; it even… Read More ›
Executive Summary – Climate Change and the Right to a Healthy Environment: International and Canadian Developments
Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible en français. A healthy environment is essential to human life, health and well-being. Climate change is increasingly impacting the environment in ways that harm people. Climate change affects the air we breathe, the availability of food and water, and… Read More ›
Soil for Life
Reading Time: 7 minutesDisponible en français. There are more living organisms in a tablespoon of soil than there are people on Earth. Dig deeper and you will find that one cubic metre of healthy soil can retain over 250 litres of water. More than… Read More ›
Into the Depths: International Law and Deep Seabed Mining
Reading Time: 5 minutesDisponible en français. The oceans are much deeper than we think. The high seas – defined in international law as the waters beyond all national territorial waters and exclusive economic zones (EEZs) – extend to depths ranging from an average of over… Read More ›
Global Methane Pledge: Reducing Methane Emissions in Canada
Reading Time: 5 minutesDisponible en français. In November 2021, Canada joined the Global Methane Pledge launched by the United States and the European Union at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. The collective goal of this pledge is to reduce human-caused methane emissions by at least… Read More ›
Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage
Reading Time: 6 minutesDisponible en français. As the main greenhouse gas emitted due to human activities, carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the primary contributors to climate change. Capturing some of this gas and keeping it out of the atmosphere is one approach… Read More ›
COP26: Negotiating for 1.5 Degrees Celsius
Reading Time: 6 minutesDisponible en français. The 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was held from 31 October to 12 November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. Over 39,000 people attended COP26 including representatives from… Read More ›