Volunteers communicating the need for Pickering Airport
By: Mark Brooks, Phil Lightstone We all agree that climate change is an inevitable reality of carbon emissions and other forms of pollution. The Australian bush fires, amplified by climate change, have created unbearable devastation and impacted climates as far away as Antarctica. The dominant approach to fighting climate change has been to focus on improving emissions […]
by Ted Nickerson Trees and aviation do not normally need each other, but trees could soon be a contributor to developing a low-carbon / carbon-neutral Pickering Airport. In 2017, Canada’s aviation emissions accounted for 21 megatonnes (1 megatonne = 1 million metric tonnes) or 3% of total emissions, with domestic air travel accounting for 1%, […]
By Mark Brooks, November 30, 2019 The aviation industry is the backbone of the global economy, but for years it has…
November 18, 2019 East of Toronto, plans are progressing to build a new international airport in Pickering on a land reserve set aside for that purpose more than four decades ago. Those opposing the project have consistently suggested that expanding and retrofitting a small general aviation airport in the nearby city of Oshawa is a […]
With the hashtag #istayontheground, Swedish teenager climate activist Greta Thunberg is focusing the world’s attention on greenhouse gases created by the aviation sector. Tweeting out statements such as this one on December 30 2018. “My generation won’t be able to fly other than for emergencies, in a foreseeable future if we are to be the […]
If consumer demand and a privately-funded business case where the only deciding factors, Pickering Airport would be under construction right now. So what’s the hold-up? National politics and the symbolism around building a new airport, while fighting climate change, may be the key reason an RFP (request for proposal) has not yet been issued by […]
Toronto Pearson International Airport is measurably hotter than the surrounding area because of something called the “Heat Island Effect”. Pearson Airport was clearly not designed to consider the heat island effect. It is surrounded by urbanized areas, with less-than-ideal green spaces. Heat islands can be man-made or occur naturally. Imagine walking barefoot on a hot […]
In the 19th century, passenger rail displaced the horse and buggy and steamship as the preferred mode of intercity travel in Canada. In the 20th century the automobile and air travel displaced passenger rail service. Airports are now an integral part of the bonds that form the Canadian nation. But will continuing advances in automotive […]
Why build a new airport now? In 1972, with praiseworthy farsightedness, the Canadian Government set aside thousands of acres of land just east of Toronto for a future airport. Since then, this billion-dollar public land reserve has been leased out to local farmers by Transport Canada. It has been waiting for the day when Toronto’s […]
For the first time since humans have existed on Earth, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has topped 415 parts per million. Transportation contributes significantly to global warming. We can take concrete actions today to reduce those emissions through more efficient transportation and trying to reduce our need to travel. The first is largely up to government and industry, the second is an individual’s choice. […]
