I grew up in Alberta, spending as much time in the Rockies as I could. Winters were for skiing when snow was guaranteed and the only thing that ever stopped me from hitting the trails and slopes were temperatures that were too cold. I was always a wimp with a -15 C limit on outdoor activities. There were lots of those days then. Now, as climate change warms our planet, I’m not so sure.
Summers were about planning that next hiking trip. My first overnight backpacking voyage was to Jacques Lake, an almost flat 13-kilometre hop to a lovely spot. I was only 12 and my dad carried almost all our gear. To me, the hike up felt interminable and there was, I admit, some whining along the way. But we made it and woke to moose feeding by the shore, so close we could hear the splashing and see the steam from their nostrils in the early morning chill. I was hooked and since then, have hoofed many of the best trails in the region.
I’ve seen grizzlies, way too close for comfort at Mount Assiniboine, a porcupine sunning itself in the snow, and had flying squirrels gnaw through a hanging food bag. I’ve fallen asleep listening to the crack of ice chunks peeling off a glacier into Berg Lake. I’ve been same-day sunburned, snowed on and had my water bottle freeze overnight. I have marvelled at every majestic minute of it unaware, until fairly recently, it could all disappear.
My last hiking trip to Jasper was a sobering reminder that Canada’s natural environment is in peril. We were on a lower trail where the mountain pine beetle infestation had wiped out huge swaths of trees. That scourge, worsened by our warming climate, has now subsided but in some areas, the green forests are no more.
The lines marking the retreat of the Columbia Icefield have grown alarmingly far apart and the stunning Berg Lake trail was wiped out by a climate trifecta — heat dome, rapid meltwater, and excessive precipitation. It won’t be fully open until 2025, if rebuilding efforts go well.
Living in Vancouver, I know climate change is real. Fires take out huge swaths of forest every year, often blanketing the city in smoke. Our heat waves are getting too hot, claiming lives on the worst days. Yet somehow, the precarious future of Banff and Jasper is a particularly harsh gut punch precisely because they are national parks. Places we thought would remain pristine, wild spaces forever. They were, and still largely are, protected from the ravages of industry and development. But what if we can’t find a way to protect them from climate change? What then?
At Canada’s National Observer, we write about climate change. Often it’s bad news about the toll of extreme weather on our cities, countryside and the larger world. Often it’s frustrating news about the halting progress we as a nation are making to dial back the greenhouse gas emissions that are overheating our planet. We watch as legislators play politics over policies designed to address this global crisis. We despair when public opinion turns against climate action.
Our job as a climate publication is to shed light on it all. To explain the climate crisis and what must be done to solve it. To expose those who refuse to take it seriously and prey on people’s fears and insecurities to turn them against measures that have been proven to work. To listen to science, examine best practices, and not be snowed by greenwashing or disinformation designed to prop up the fossil fuel consumption status quo.
Finally, our role is to offer clear-eyed hope. Because without that, there would be no point even trying to work our way out of the mess we’ve made. And there are successes, many of them. We bring those stories to you as well.
CNO’s team of writers, editors, podcasters and TikTok stars are climate experts who work hard to keep you up to date on all the latest climate news and solutions. We give it our all, but we need your help to carry on. Journalism is an expensive endeavour. It takes money to pay writers, photographers, illustrators, and staff. It takes more money to travel to places where the stories are unfolding. It takes money to keep the website running smoothly.
So, it’s that time of year when I come to you again with an ask. If you can spare some money in these difficult economic times, please send some of it our way. Donations make our climate coverage possible and we rely on you to keep up with journalism we hope will help protect the places you love.
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Warm regards,
Adrienne Tanner
Editor-in-Chief
Canada’s National Observer
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