DeSmogCAST 5: Canada's Clean Energy Revolution, Oilsands Tailings Pollution and COP20 Expectations

onDec 6, 2014 @ 08:05 PST

In this week’s episode of DeSmogCAST we cover a new report in Canada that shows the clean energy sector making huge gains in investment and job-creation, despite a lack of strong support at the federal level. We also discuss a new study from Environment Canada that shows toxic pollutants from the Alberta oilsands’ tailings ponds are being emitted into the atmosphere at much higher rates than previous estimated. Finally we turn our attention to the UNFCCC COP20 underway in Lima, Peru and ask what we can expect to see in the next week’s top level, international climate negotiations.

Hosted by DeSmogBlog contributor Farron Cousins, this episode features DeSmog Canada’s executive director Emma Gilchrist, DeSmogUK’s new deputy editor Kyla Mandel and yours truly.

For more episodes of DeSmogCAST visit our DeSmogBlog Youtube page.

See below for articles mentioned in this episode:

Clean Energy Provided More Jobs Last Year Than Oilsands: Report

Geothermal Offers Cheaper, Cleaner Alternative to Site C Dam: New Report

Three Decades and Counting: How B.C. Has Failed to Investigate Alternatives to Site C Dam

Environment Canada Study Reveals Oilsands Tailings Ponds Emit Toxins to Atmosphere at Much Higher Levels than Reported

What Can We Expect From the Lima Climate Talks?

By Carol Linnitt

Pennsylvania’s Petrochemical ‘Renaissance’ Hasn’t Panned Out

BySarah Hofmann

onJul 9, 2026 @ 11:22 PDT

More than a decade after Shell announced its Beaver County complex, new reports show the oil giant’s promised economic revival failed, while pollution concerns now shape debates over proposed data centers.

Northern Ireland Turned Into 'Sacrifice Zone’ to Feed UK’s Appetite for Meat, New Report Finds

ByShauna Corr

onJul 8, 2026 @ 22:00 PDT

Nearly two thirds of country’s pig and poultry farms leach polluting manure into lough that supplies half the region's drinking water, according to latest research.

Series: Pigs, Poultry, and Pollution: Investigating Intensive Agriculture

Series: Investigating Intensive Livestock Pollution

us/Colorado Cut $11.4 Million in Penalties for Oil Firms Submitting Fake Cleanup Data

BySarah Hofmann

onJul 7, 2026 @ 11:29 PDT

Residents, activists, and a state commissioner critiqued the deals, approved under the top oil regulator, who is stepping down following a DeSmog investigation.