Mention the phrase “hydrogen economy” these days, and most people will laugh at you. That’s because the phrase reminds most people of the endlessly unfulfilled promises of fuel cell–powered cars and hydrogen refueling stations. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger, with his famous hydrogen powered Hummers, has dropped talk of the Hydrogen Highway in favour of something a bit more practical: […]

What’s the best way to clear the air in Toronto? Take some of the thousands of cars off the highways that lead into and out of the city. Motor vehicles, as I demonstrated last year, are by far the biggest source of Toronto smog and greenhouse gases

It’s always encouraging when a political leader mentions the right technology during a major speech. Four months ago George Bush, the mainstream environment movement’s arch-nemesis, touted plug-in hybrids during his state of the union speech. A few days ago, Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty, in announcing a $650 million green fund, said “GM is making their […]

Congratulations to Toronto mayor David Miller for his smart decision to test the viability of plug-in hybrid cars. Exhaust from motor vehicles is Toronto’s, and just about every other city’s, primary source of air pollution and smog.
As I have argued in another article in this blog, plug-in hybrids are the most promising technological route to […]

Of all the ways to deal with the pall of smog that hangs over Toronto in the summertime, expanding the city’s transit system is one of the smartest. Motor vehicles are the primary source of all that smog. The federal, provincial, and city governments should be congratulated for recognizing this, and for collaborating on extending […]

Last week I talked about the proposed ban on incandescent lights that is sweeping across the country. I said that the energy savings from replacing incandescent bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescents are negligible. Let me quantify that statement.
I have 16 100-watt incandescent lights. If I replaced them today with 29-watt compact fluorescents (the package […]

How can Canada reduce emissions from transportation vehicles? These emissions account for twenty-five percent of the country’s greenhouse gases (GHGs), most of the carbon monoxide, and big proportions of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides. The latter, combined with warm air and sunlight, are a big source of smog.
The answer is actually very simple: we […]

California’s lawsuit against automakers for exhaust emissions from motor vehicles is generating worldwide headlines. Is this is just a bunch of noise? I don’t think so. Forget for a moment the strict legalities involved, though they are a source of legitimate worry for automakers. (Don’t go by the recent unsuccessful similar actions against major power […]

My first post in this series (May 25) showed how a nuclear power expansion in Ontario would propel us to full Kyoto compliance in the electricity generation sector. The provincial government can accomplish this within the time it takes to refurbish and replace the laid-up reactors in the provincial fleet. I talked about how the […]

Ontario is on the verge of becoming the very first North American jurisdiction to take a giant step to full Kyoto compliance.
Some time soon, energy minister Dwight Duncan will announce the provincial government’s plans for adding refurbished or new nuclear capacity to Ontario’s system. Even if Duncan limits his focus to just the laid-up Bruce […]