Marc Fawcett-Atkinson
Journalist | Vancouver |
English
French
About Marc Fawcett-Atkinson
Marc Fawcett-Atkinson is a reporter and writer covering food systems, climate, disinformation, and plastics and the environment for Canada’s National Observer.
His ongoing investigations of the plastic industry in Canada won him a Webster Award's nomination in environmental reporting in 2021. He was also a nominee for a Canadian Association of Journalists's award for his reporting on disinformation.
Marc has previously written for High Country News, the Literary Review of Canada, and other publications on topics exploring relationships between people and their social and physical environments.
He holds an M.A. in journalism from the University of British Columbia and a B.A. in Human Ecology from the College of the Atlantic.
DFO decision to ban frozen spot prawns ‘real disservice’ to harvesters — and food security
Hundreds of B.C. spot prawn harvesters might soon be out of work thanks to a recent decision by Fisheries and Oceans Canada that makes selling spot prawns frozen at sea illegal.
Everything you need to know about Canada's new laws for GMOs and gene editing
New gene-edited plants and food products may soon be on the market in Canada without regulatory oversight due to proposed changes to Canada’s risk assessment for food and plants.
Microwaves could be the future for plastic recycling
A Quebec-based engineer is using microwave technology to recycle plastic waste. Could his approach help cut down on the production of new plastic?
On Canada's East Coast, researchers look for plastic — and a new way to do science
Emerging research on microplastics suggests they can leak harmful chemicals into the environment. On the East Coast, one researcher is working to understand the impact of these tiny particles — and reckoning with science's colonial legacy at the same time.
Your mac and cheese will be getting safer — if you can afford it
Lovers of macaroni and cheese will soon have the choice to avoid toxic chemicals in their favourite dish — but only if they can afford it.
Canada is drowning in plastic waste — and recycling won't save us
The federal government is calling for a new “circular economy” that would rely on massively scaling up existing recycling facilities and still-nascent recycling technologies to keep disposable plastic ubiquitous in our daily lives. But can recycling really save us?
The backroom battle between industry, Ottawa and environmentalists over plastics regulation
Canada's $28-billion plastics industry has always resisted efforts to curtail production. But with the federal government proposing a ban on certain single-use items and looking to classify plastic as toxic, the pushback has grown even greater.
Agriculture key to meeting Paris goals, but documents suggest feds avoiding change
Agriculture is responsible for about eight per cent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. But newly released internal documents suggest the federal government denies that Canada needs to take action to rapidly reduce them.
Why Canadian farmers should harvest lessons from the North
Sonny Gray thinks the crop of farms popping up across Northern Canada might end up teaching the rest of us lessons vital to the future of the country’s food system.
Why community-run food hubs could be the key to better food security
Food hubs — community-run centres that provide shared space for small-scale farmers and food processors — can help improve local food security and shorten the supply chain.