Barry Saxifrage
Climate Analyst | Vancouver
About Barry Saxifrage
Barry Saxifrage is Canada's National Observer's resident chart geek and climate analyst. In his visual carbon columns, Saxifrage deconstructs the data behind global warming and Canada's climate targets, as he charts international progress and graphically documents failures by industry and governments. His work is cited frequently by academics and climate publications internationally, including by George Monbiot in The Guardian, Yale Climate Connections, Bill McKibben's New Yorker newsletter, The Times Colonist, and many others. When he's not analyzing the corporate reports of major oil companies or comparing Canada's government's promises against Canada's actual emissions, Saxifrage is an avid soccer player.
‘Electrify everything’? Canada cranks fossil burning instead
The climate crisis requires we "electrify everything." But in Canada, we're cranking up fossil fuel burning instead. Barry Saxifrage takes us on a chart-filled tour of where we are in our climate-required energy transition.
Methane promises: Fool me 26 times …
Despite decades of climate conferences, promises, and deals, methane and carbon dioxide emissions have continued to rise at faster than ever rates. Barry Saxifrage has the receipts.
Dirty energy: Coal versus cars
Gasoline cars are even more CO2-intensive than coal power plants. And in Canada, it is gasoline, not coal, that is driving climate failure, says columnist Barry Saxifrage.
Pricing carbon: Canada’s ‘carbon tax’ versus international gas taxes
Many nations, like Britain, Norway, and Germany, tax gasoline at $550 per tonne of CO2 — $400 more than we do. Unsurprisingly, our surging tailpipe emissions are driving Canada's climate failure, writes Barry Saxifrage.
Canada’s climate solution? Keep increasing fossil fuel extraction
Despite decades of failing, Canada is once again promising big emissions cuts even as it expands fossil fuel production. Has any nation pulled it off? Here's what I found when I went looking.
Dixie Fire is the latest town-eating monster in California’s exploding megafire crisis
Fossil fuel pollution has been searing the Golden State into a hot, dry tinderbox. The megafires have followed in accelerating fury and frequency, and carbon columnist Barry Saxifrage has the charts to prove it.
B.C. wildfires now burning 10 times more than in 1990s
Wildfires in B.C. are now pumping more climate pollution into the atmosphere than all fossil fuel burning in the province.
Under siege, B.C.'s forests have started emitting CO2. Lots of it
We are losing one of our best allies in the climate fight, writes columnist Barry Saxifrage.
One of Canada’s biggest carbon sinks is circling the drain
Canada's continent-spanning forest used to remove massive amounts of CO2 from the air each year. It was a hugely valuable "carbon sink", slowing the pace of climate change and benefiting our logging industry.
These graphics show how the world is racing towards climate failure
The primary fuel of the climate crisis — CO2 in our atmosphere — continues to accelerate upwards, unchecked by decades of Earth Days, climate summits and even a global pandemic. Barry Saxifrage shows us where we are now, globally and in Canada.