After 11 years of bringing you local reporting, the team behind the Vancouver Observer has moved on to Canada's National Observer. You can follow Vancouver culture reporting over there from now on. Thank you for all your support over the years!

Barry Saxifrage

Barry Saxifrage researches, charts and writes about the latest climate change information for the Vancouver Observer and other publications. Much of his work can be found on his website, Visual Carbon.



More oil sands in the pipeline than the future will want: IEA

Are the tar sands taking a long walk off a short pier?

Climate change powers "Frankenstorm" Sandy

Six ways we are creating record-smashing superstorms by injecting our weather with climate steroids.

Rapid collapse of USA coal holds warning for tar sands

Demand for US coal has suddenly plummeted leaving coal companies fighting to survive. Alberta's tar sands could be next.

BC's dirty climate secret

“We can fool ourselves, but we can’t fool the atmosphere.” — Sierra Club BC Science Advisor Dr. Colin Campbell.

We're losing the climate fight thanks to Harper's lax coal regulations

The Harper government's new coal pollution regulations leave Canada's economy unprepared for accelerating climate threats.

Arctic "death spiral" leaves climate scientists shocked and worried

A "global disaster" is unfolding rapidly in the Arctic as melting sea ice kick starts global warming feedback loops.

Global warming tragedy: Fraser River salmon dying as climate change heats up waters

Our CO2 has warmed the Fraser and altered its flows. Salmon are dying. Experts predict brutal conditions unless global warming is stopped.

Alberta's oilsands pipelines promise massive non-stop brand-Canada carbon spills

To stay in business, Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline will require a continuous, multi-decade, carbon spill many times larger than BC's current emissions.

Climate change results in rainier Vancouver spring

With the city's increasingly rainy climate, buying bigger umbrellas is the least of peoples' worries.

While Harper dithers, provincial CO2 imbalance problem burns

When it comes to doing something about the climate crisis, Canada has developed an unstable split personality while Stephen Harper dithers.