Barry Saxifrage

Carbon Columnist Canada

Barry Saxifrage is a climate reporter and National Observer's resident chart geek. He focuses on the data of climate change.

75 Articles

A fistful of 50 plastic straws found littered on the beach

Picture this — your carbon emissions as plastic straws

"Seeing" our family car litter 15 plastic straws out its tailpipe every second on the highway completely changed my understanding of our climate pollution emergency. And then I did the math for my flight. Barry Saxifrage details his eye-opening findings.

Race Against Climate Change

By Barry Saxifrage | Analysis | April 1st 2021

Canada pledges to strengthen 2030 climate targets. How ambitious should we be?

The Paris Agreement calls on all countries to strengthen their initial targets this year. What should Canada aim for? Here are four charts illustrating the current situation and the choices ahead.

Race Against Climate Change

By Barry Saxifrage | Analysis, Business, Energy, Politics | February 4th 2021

The good, the bad and the ugly in Canada’s 2030 climate plan

For the first time, Canada has proposed a way to meet its climate targets, but it will take a lot more tough legislation to rein in emissions from our highest polluters, writes Barry Saxifrage.

Race Against Climate Change

By Barry Saxifrage | Analysis | January 18th 2021

Canada is losing the race to low-carbon prosperity

The Americans and Europeans have sprinted ahead, and even the coal-choked Chinese economy is about to pass us by, says Barry Saxifrage.

Race Against Climate Change

By Barry Saxifrage | Analysis | November 26th 2020

CO2 emissions from forestry are a surging climate threat. Ottawa needs to act

The logging industry continues to cut faster than Canada's managed forests can keep up with. The resulting flood of CO2 is a rapidly growing climate threat, Barry Saxifrage writes, and Ottawa needs new climate policies to rein it in.

Opinion

Race Against Climate Change

By Barry Saxifrage | Opinion | November 2nd 2020

California megafires are rising exponentially

California megafires rise exponentially as global heating takes the gloves off

Record temperatures are teaming up with record droughts to turn the Golden State into a tinderbox. Megafires have followed with increasing frequency and size.

Opinion

Race Against Climate Change

By Barry Saxifrage | Opinion | October 20th 2020

Canada supporting fossil fuels at 10 times the G20 average during pandemic

It’s crucial that we don’t accelerate deeper into danger, like we did after the last recession.

Race Against Climate Change

By Barry Saxifrage & Chris Hatch | Analysis | August 12th 2020

Burning out of control. Oil fire (wikipedia)

Global fossil burning breaks record in 2019. Canadians in top 1%

Humanity continues its reckless sprint away from climate safety. Digging into the latest BP energy data to create the missing charts showing fossil fuel burning trends in Canada and worldwide.

Opinion

Race Against Climate Change

By Barry Saxifrage | Opinion, Energy | July 16th 2020

Canada's managed forests are dying, burning and being cut faster than they are growing back

How Canada's managed forests became super-emitters

The ongoing collapse of our managed forests — from needed carbon sinks into dangerous super-emitters — reached record levels in 2018. So here's an illustrative walk through the latest data.

Opinion

Race Against Climate Change

By Barry Saxifrage | Opinion | June 5th 2020

Canada climate pollution in 2018 is highest in more than a decade

Canada's emissions rise, yet again. Can we please adopt U.K. Carbon Budget law now?

Canada's emissions have surged to their highest level in more than a decade. The U.K. offers an alternative climate tool kit we could adopt to try to reverse our multi-decade climate failure.

Opinion

Race Against Climate Change

By Barry Saxifrage | Opinion | May 29th 2020