đThis newsletter is 843 words long, a 6.5 minutes read.đ
September 2, 2022
During our production meeting this month, we were a little puzzled: we felt there were fewer stories to share. In fact, our intuition was right. Climate salience was down to lower proportions in August, despite inundations in Pakistan, a very dry Europe and elections coming up in Quebec.
Before we can share more on the index weâre working on, I can share our climate salience Twitter index. We did some tests this summer, and itâs pretty accurate. We analyze every tweet posted by a set of 27 Canadian news media from coast to coast, the leaders in their markets (ok, we have a code for that, thanks to Nadia Sheikh!)
For August, 0.44 percent of their tweets were about climate change. This is slightly over the lowest number observed for any month of 2021. Outside big international events, when climate can reach a 1% weight, itâs quite marginal still. But, donât worry: we found many outstanding stories to share with you, including one on electric buses that shows how, even when the industry wants to be part of the solution, itâs easier said than done.
We hope youâll enjoy your reading! And our sincere thanks to the 250 people or so who subscribed, we are honoured and excited about this adventure! Â
You would prefer to read this newsletter in French?
NewsÂ
In Canada-Germany hydrogen alliance, the devilâs in the detailsÂ
Is the alliance between Canada and Germany about hydrogen as green as weâre told? Tied this month in Newfoundland, the agreement promises to deliver the Canadian combustible to Europe as soon as 2025. Itâs framed as a potentially ecological option, but also as a way for Germany to wean itself from Russian gas in the current geopolitical context. This article by The National Observer takes a deeper look at the dealâs fine prints and outlines how Canadian hydrogen that is planned to be shipped is not all âgreen.â While weâre at it, if you need more to understand what green hydrogen is, Le Journal de MontrĂ©al produced this great infographic story. Â
Climate adaptation in Quebec and OntarioÂ
Two important chapters of a Canada-wide climate report about Quebec and Ontario adaptation to climate change were released in the past month. If you havenât heard anything about it, itâs because it did not get much traction in the media, to our surprise. Reporter Ariane Krol from La Presse highlights how late Quebec is in its response to climate change and how to adapt. The regional perspective in a story written by Lori Thompson for The Manitoulin Expositor caught our eye too. Manitoulin Island, Ontario, is the largest lake island in the world (we did not know that!) and the effects of climate change there are important. Species, for example, canât migrate to another habitat because of the water. Â
SolutionsÂ
The costs and benefits of table scrapsÂ
More reasons to clean your plate... or not. Table scraps generate a significant amount of greenhouse gases. In Quebec, more than 700,000 tons of leftovers end up in landfills every year. It produces as many emissions as 83,000 round trips from Sept-Ăles to Vancouver in an SUV. Compost is one solution, but can we also turn it into fuel? That's one of the central questions in this story by Unpointcinq.Â
Â
Photo credit: Oregon State UniversityÂ
Research Â
Twitter and the media on climate change: two discoursesÂ
Researchers, including co-author Shelly Boulianne from MacEwan University, Edmonton, analyzed the framing of climate change and climate protests on Twitter and in Anglo media. They went over five million tweets! While traditional media outlets scrutinize the action or inaction of international political actors, interest groups use Twitter to address injustices and call for action.  Â
LongformÂ
Electric buses from Manitoba, made in the U.S.Â
At a time when Canada is looking to lead the way in climate innovation, Manitoba's expertise in zero-emission bus manufacturing is facing relocation to the U.S. This Narwhal article attempts to shed light on government policies and their impact on the operations of New Flyer, a Winnipeg-based leader in the North American green public transit industry, a kind of Tesla for buses! The Manitoba flagship has suffered significant losses during the pandemic, and the current Canadian legislation is encouraging the exodus of clean tech jobs south of the border. In this in-depth story, we were also appealed by the stunning photographs from Mikaela Mackenzie/Winnipeg Free Press. Â
LocalÂ
Montreal, infraredÂ
Have you ever wondered what Montreal would look like through an infrared lens? Journalists from Le Devoir published a multimedia article that shows the ways different materials radiate heat. Scrolling through their side-by-side photos, you can see the differences between streets in the city that grow vegetation and roads that are made of black asphalt and cars. With every summer seemingly getting hotter in the city, itâs interesting to read what the expert quoted proposes as solutions. Â
Photo credit: Matthias MullieÂ
ListenÂ
Feu Vert was launched this month. The new radio show with an environmental focus at ICI Radio-Canada PremiĂšre is hosted by Catherine Perrin. We were there, along with Unpointcinq cofounder Philippe Poitras, to discuss media coverage of the environment and climate.Â