John Woodside
Senior Ottawa Reporter | Ottawa |
English
About John Woodside
John Woodside was named one of Canada Clean50's emerging leaders in 2023 for his outstanding reporting on the climate and related issues. Focusing on finance, lobbying, energy policy and the climate emergency from Ottawa, Woodside brings a depth of experience to Canada's National Observer. Before joining Canada's National Observer, John reported on energy for allNewBrunswick and allNewfoundlandLabrador, and focused on Muskrat Falls, nuclear power, and the Irving group of companies.He has also worked with Cited Media and with the foreign policy news outlet OpenCanada. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Masters in Journalism.
Law students shine a spotlight on law firms’ role driving the climate crisis
Law students from the University of Toronto wanted to understand how the firms so many of them are recruited by drive the climate crisis. What they found was shocking.
Some things I’ve learned as a climate journalist
I’ll start by letting you in on a little open secret: This year (and in past years) the only Canadian media outlet to send reporters to COP, aside from the CBC, was Canada’s National Observer.
Slow pace of climate talks builds momentum for a new treaty
In the face of accelerating natural disasters and the slow state of climate negotiations, new diplomatic efforts to rein in fossil fuels are being developed. Will it be enough to avoid catastrophe?
For the first time in nearly three decades of climate change negotiations, countries have agreed to signal the end of the fossil fuel era
The ‘UAE Consensus’ on climate change is anything but universal agreement. In fact, it reveals the deep divisions set to define the next decade of climate action.
The oily backroom campaign to sink the federal emissions cap
The federal government faced fierce external pressure to abandon or weaken its plan to cap oil and gas sector emissions from provincial governments and industry lobby groups in the lead-up to its announcement last week.
Canada tapped by United Arab Emirates to help broker final deal at U.N. climate summit
Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault now finds himself, alongside a select handful of other countries, in a pivotal role brokering the fierce debates around phasing out fossil fuels that have defined COP28.
Feds unveil plan to cap oil and gas emissions. What happens next?
The proposed plan to tackle oil and gas sector emissions is to cut pollution from the sector by more than a third by 2030.
Quebec’s mission to end oil and gas
At the annual UN climate change negotiations now unfolding in Dubai, Quebec was promoted to the leadership team of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance –– a coalition of countries and sub-national governments that have committed to banning the exploration and development for new oil and gas.
Prairie provinces flog oil and gas at climate talks
Former environment and climate change minister Catherine McKenna told Canada’s National Observer it’s “completely bonkers” to come to a climate summit to push oil and gas extraction.
Does Canada need a climate czar?
“There's all sorts of reasons why it's challenging for governments to deliver on commitments, so that's the person who ultimately is cracking the whip, saying we've got to get this done faster," says former federal environment and climate change minister Catherine McKenna.