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Sustainability Match Round One: Vaclav Smil versus Yuval Noah Harari
Posted by Daniel Hoornweg on September 06, 2023
The thrust and parry of the sustainability debate is well-argued in the writings of two men: Vaclav Smil[1] versus Yuval Noah Harari[2],[3]. Yuval Noah Harari’s first bestseller Sapiens (2011) summarizes human history, the emergence of Homo sapiens, comparative civilizations, and the...
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The Eleventh Commandment
Posted by Daniel Hoornweg on July 27, 2023
Dana Meadows, likely the world’s most appreciated systems engineer and champion of sustainability, suggested an Eleventh Commandment: Though shalt not distort, delay, or sequester information. What if Exxon, and its brethren fossil fuel companies agreed to disclose their climate models...
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The Year of Living – (sort of) Radical Sabbatical Musings on Sustainability
Posted by Daniel Hoornweg on July 01, 2023
One of the best perks of academia is the sabbatical; a year to think and write. The first leave is typically granted after acquiring tenure, and for the (usually) mid-30s academic, this heralds an opportunity to anchor their career with a concentrated block of time to research and publish. For...
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The Urgent Need for Canadian Cooperation
Posted by Daniel Hoornweg on May 06, 2020
As President Obama, Bono and the back wall of Indigo said, the world needs more Canada. This may...
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Earth Day 2020
Posted by Daniel Hoornweg on April 20, 2020
Fifty years ago, on 22 April 1970, only a few days after Apollo 13 failed to reach the moon but...
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Lessons learned from the past
Posted by Daniel Hoornweg on February 11, 2020
Preparing for history to repeat One of the largest collections of books on World War II is now...
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Cities key to Canada's success
Posted by Daniel Hoornweg on November 29, 2019
As the dust from the federal election settles, a familiar picture emerges. Canada’s...
Filed under: Sustainability 101