From natural disasters and extreme weather to the last tree left standing in a forest, these are the environment conversations that helped define Canada

collage of images from stories

The Decade in Environment

As the 2010s come to a close, we look back at a mix of our favourite stories and speakers. From natural disasters and extreme weather to the last tree left standing in a forest, these are the ideas, people, and conversations that helped define Canada




Big Lonely Doug

BY HARLEY RUSTAD
How a single tree, and the logger who saved it, have changed the way we see British Columbia’s old-growth forests



Animation of three illustrated humans putting blue recycling buckets on their heads

Why Recycling Doesn’t Work

BY MATTHEW HALLIDAY
You may use the blue bin, but it doesn’t mean you’re helping the environment




What Would It Look Like to Take the First Nations Water Crisis Seriously?

BY HILARY BEAUMONT
Government after government has spent millions on water-treatment plants. But thousands of households still can’t drink from the tap




Fish and Indigenous Law

BY ZOE TODD
The ocean’s inhabitants are facing massive threats to their existence—and so are we



Animated illustration of a bear in the foreground with hidden hunters in the background

The Value of a Bear

BY GLORIA DICKIE
Why some Indigenous communities in BC won’t rejoice over the NDP’s decision to ban the grizzly hunt




How Calgary Survived the Flood. And Why Other Cities Won’t

BY CHRIS TURNER
Why we need to better plan for extreme weather




When Killer Whales Got a Rebrand

BY MARK LEIREN-YOUNG
Fifty years ago, killer whales became known as orcas—and launched the modern conservation movement




The Right to Be Cold

BY SHEILA WATT-CLOUTIER
As the planet warms, Inuit culture is under serious threat




On Patrol with the Canadian Rangers

BY PHILIP CHEUNG
This Northern military branch is often the first responder in the country’s most remote regions




We’re Doomed. Now What?

BY CHRIS TURNER
An optimist’s guide to the climate crisis




A 10 Percent World

BY J.B. MACKINNON
Our Earth reflects just one-tenth the biological variety and abundance it once did. What happened?



Illustration of glass buildings with three birds flying by.

Our Obsession with Glass Is Killing Birds

BY MOIRA FARR
We’ve designed our buildings with shiny, transparent, or mirrored ­surfaces that hundreds crash into day ­after day


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The Walrus Staff