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DeSmogCAST 5: Canada’s Clean Energy Revolution, Oilsands Tailings Pollution and COP20 Expectations

In this week's episode of DeSmogCAST we cover a new report in Canada that shows the clean energy sector making huge gains in investment and job-creation, despite a lack of strong support at the federal level. We also discuss a new study from Environment Canada that shows toxic pollutants from the Alberta oilsands' tailings ponds are being emitted into the atmosphere at much higher rates than previous estimated. Finally we turn our attention to the UNFCCC COP20 underway in Lima, Peru and ask what we can expect to see in the next week's top level, international climate negotiations.

Hosted by DeSmogBlog contributor Farron Cousins, this episode features DeSmog Canada's executive director Emma Gilchrist, DeSmogUK's new deputy editor Kyla Mandel and yours truly.

For more episodes of DeSmogCAST visit our DeSmogBlog Youtube page.

See below for articles mentioned in this episode:
 
Clean Energy Provided More Jobs Last Year Than Oilsands: Report
 
Geothermal Offers Cheaper, Cleaner Alternative to Site C Dam: New Report
 
Three Decades and Counting: How B.C. Has Failed to Investigate Alternatives to Site C Dam
 
Environment Canada Study Reveals Oilsands Tailings Ponds Emit Toxins to Atmosphere at Much Higher Levels than Reported
 
What Can We Expect From the Lima Climate Talks?
 

Another year of keeping a close watch
Here at The Narwhal, we don’t use profit, awards or pageviews to measure success. The thing that matters most is real-world impact — evidence that our reporting influenced citizens to hold power to account and pushed policymakers to do better.

And in 2024, our stories were raised in parliaments across the country and cited by citizens in their petitions and letters to politicians.

In Alberta, our reporting revealed Premier Danielle Smith made false statements about the controversial renewables pause. In Manitoba, we proved that officials failed to formally inspect a leaky pipeline for years. And our investigations on a leaked recording of TC Energy executives were called “the most important Canadian political story of the year.”

As the year draws to a close, we’d like to thank you for paying attention. And if you’re able to donate anything at all to help us keep doing this work in 2025 — which will bring a whole lot we can’t predict — thank you so very much.

Will you help us hold the powerful accountable in the year to come by giving what you can today?
Another year of keeping a close watch
Here at The Narwhal, we don’t use profit, awards or pageviews to measure success. The thing that matters most is real-world impact — evidence that our reporting influenced citizens to hold power to account and pushed policymakers to do better.

And in 2024, our stories were raised in parliaments across the country and cited by citizens in their petitions and letters to politicians.

In Alberta, our reporting revealed Premier Danielle Smith made false statements about the controversial renewables pause. In Manitoba, we proved that officials failed to formally inspect a leaky pipeline for years. And our investigations on a leaked recording of TC Energy executives were called “the most important Canadian political story of the year.”

As the year draws to a close, we’d like to thank you for paying attention. And if you’re able to donate anything at all to help us keep doing this work in 2025 — which will bring a whole lot we can’t predict — thank you so very much.

Will you help us hold the powerful accountable in the year to come by giving what you can today?

Yukon could get new Indigenous protected area the size of Vancouver Island

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