Greenspiration News & Events: solar is winning

[Angela Bischoff - OCAA]



 

INTERNATIONAL

 

Solar is winning the energy race

The world’s cheapest power source is scaling at warp speed, pushing coal, gas and nuclear aside.

https://www.dw.com/en/solar-is-winning-the-energy-race/a-76517556

 

Britain responds to Iran war energy shock by requiring solar panels and heat pumps in all new homes

U.K. ministers say the Iran war and the largest supply disruption in the history of the oil market reinforces the need to leverage clean power as an energy security tool. “Every solar panel, heat pump and battery cuts bills and boosts Britain’s energy independence."

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/24/iran-war-britain-new-homes-solar-heat-pumps-energy-crisis.html  

 

London, San Francisco and Beijing Achieve ‘Remarkable Reductions’ in Air Pollution

Cycle lanes, electric cars and other interventions have helped 19 global cities slash levels of pollutants by more than 20%.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/12/london-san-francisco-and-beijing-achieve-remarkable-reductions-in-air-pollution  

 

How Pakistan’s people-led solar boom is easing impact of Middle East energy crisis

Nationwide, the share of electricity generated by solar jumped fivefold between December 2021 and December 2025, becoming one-fifth of the country’s grid-supplied electricity. As the war in Iran chokes off a key global oil and gas trade route through the strait of Hormuz, energy analysts say Pakistan’s solar expansion has so far insulated the power sector from the worst of the energy market disruptions. "Renewables, grids, but also storage, could be the holy trinity solutions for the energy dilemma for the whole of the Asia region.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/17/pakistan-people-led-solar-boom-middle-east-energy-crisis  

 

Donald Trump: the Accidental Net Zero Hero 

Welcome to the green energy transition. It wasn’t brought to you by climate activists or green policy papers or international accords or emotional speeches by teenagers at the UN. But the man who called wind energy a joke. Who forced the military to burn coal. Who banned the word “emissions” from his own government. Who told the entire UN that renewables “don’t work.” 

https://ifloz.substack.com/p/donald-trump-the-accidental-net-zero 

 

Earth being ‘pushed beyond its limits’ as energy imbalance reaches record high

State of the Climate report finds Earth’s energy has moved dangerously out of balance, with oceans absorbing vast majority of trapped heat

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/23/earth-being-pushed-beyond-its-limits-as-energy-imbalance-reaches-record-high   

 

The Atom & Us - A Love Story?

This documentary charts nuclear power's social and political development from the early days of post-war atomic euphoria, through to the struggling ‘nuclear renaissance’ of the present day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t34YRwQjcrw  

 

Pockets of the Future with Michael Barnard

Much of the work of decarbonization is no longer about invention. It is about recognition, replication, and stewardship. 1 hour youtube presentation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJY8OQKMHN0  

 

China to help Cuba with solar energy amid US oil blockade and total power outage

Beijing will ‘intensify its support’ to Havana after around 10.9 million people were left without power amid an ongoing energy crisis

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346978/china-help-cuba-solar-energy-amid-us-oil-blockade-and-total-power-outage  

 

 

CANADA

 

New NDP Leader Avi Lewis speaks in Winnipeg after first-ballot victory - watch his full victory speech

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7146359

 

An Energy War is Raging. The Last Thing Canada Needs is More Fossil Fuel Production.

The Middle East war is the excuse du jour for new oil and gas exports. But with the energy shock driving importing countries to ditch fossil fuels, Canada must prepare for the industry's decline.

https://energymixweekender.substack.com/p/an-energy-war-is-raging-the-last  

 

Does SMR Stand for Spending Money Recklessly?

What did Canadians get for the $4.5 billion in public funding spent on small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) activities? Our new report assessing SMR development in Canada found the results underwhelming, to say the least.

https://www.theenergymix.com/does-smr-stand-for-spending-money-recklessly/  

 

AI data centres: From boom to backlash

As the public becomes aware of the downside of AI data centres in their community, the need to tightly regulate the industry is becoming unavoidably clear

https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/ai-data-centres-from-boom-to-backlash 

 

BC Cuts Climate Agency, Sends Some Staff to Work on Pipelines

The province isn’t the only one to have axed a climate policy arm this month. This month Vancouver closed its sustainability department, which ran its core climate policies, including an expansive zero-emission building program.

https://thetyee.ca/News/2026/03/25/BC-Cuts-Climate-Agency/  

 

 

ONTARIO

 

Should we grow inefficient fuel or super efficient power?

- One hundred acres used to grow corn for ethanol can power 71 internal combustion cars.

- One hundred acres used for solar panels can power 4,330 EVs.

https://www.cleanairalliance.org/ethanol-solar/

 

How does Doug Ford plan to finance his $400 billion nuclear ambitions?

By Dr. Mark Winfield, York U

https://markwinfield.substack.com/p/how-does-doug-ford-plan-to-finance  

 

Is Doug Ford waging a war on cars?

Soaring gas prices. Worsening congestion. Fewer options. Are drivers better off than eight years ago?

https://www.tvo.org/article/analysis-is-doug-ford-waging-a-war-on-cars  

 

Please, Ontario. Stop subsidizing my hydro bill - by Steve Paiken

The province continues to help people pay for their electricity usage, even when they don’t need the help. Why?

https://www.tvo.org/article/analysis-please-ontario-stop-subsidizing-my-hydro-bill  

 

Ontario’s proposed nuclear waste repository must obtain consent from all affected First Nations

https://theconversation.com/ontarios-proposed-nuclear-waste-repository-must-obtain-consent-from-all-affected-first-nations-277735  

 

Ontario’s 2026 Budget Falls Short on Environment - statement from Environmental Defense

https://environmentaldefence.ca/2026/03/26/ontario-budget-2026/

 

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EVENTS

 

Solidarity with Grassy Narrows: Demand Premier Ford Compensate for Decades of Mercury Poisoning

Mon. March 30, 8:30 - 10 a.m. ET

Fairmont Royal York Hotel, 100 Front St West, Toronto

While Premier Ford meets with municipal leaders attending the “Good Roads Conference” at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Grassy Narrows leadership, community members and allies will be there to bring their call for justice directly to him so he cannot ignore them. Join Grassy Narrows Chief, Council, grassroots community members, and allies to demand that Premier Ford compensate the community for the ongoing mercury crisis.

https://actionnetwork.org/events/doug-ford-compensate-grassy-narrows-now 

 

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Canada's Pathway to Low Carbon with Michael Barnard

Mon. March 30, 2 p.m. ET

Canada’s low-carbon future does not depend on breakthroughs or sacrifice. It depends on scaling what is already working: cleaner grids, more transmission, batteries, heat pumps, EV charging, methane cuts, and industrial policy tied to clean electricity and Canadian jobs. Michael Barnard works with executives, investors, and policymakers on practical pathways to decarbonization. Hosted by SCAN (Seniors for Climate Action Now)

https://secure.seniorsforclimateactionnow.org/en/civicrm/event/info  

See a recent presentation by Michael Barnard here: Pockets of the Future

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJY8OQKMHN0 

 

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Emergency Town Hall: Hands Off Our Waterfront

Mon. March 30, 7 p.m. ET

Ralph Thornton Community Centre, 765 Queen St E

Hosted by MPP Peter Tabuns and City Councillor Paula Fletcher

Earlier this week, we learned Ford intends to expropriate city land to impose jets and convention centres on our waterfront without any consultation. Ford's plan also has serious and far-reaching impacts on residents, the environment and the city's plan to build thousands of new, affordable homes in the Port Lands. Join us for an urgent meeting to discuss these troubling developments and how our community can push back against Ford's waterfront power grab.

https://www.councillorpaulafletcher.ca/waterfront_townhall 

 

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Why Toronto needs a public grocery option

Monday March 30, 3:15 pm ET

With special guests:

• Dr. Michael Classens, School of the Environment, U of T

• Aaron Vansintjan, Policy Manager Food Secure Canada

• Jade Guthrie, Foodshare Toronto

To join online, register here:

https://utoronto.zoom.us/meeting/register/lpGk4vfYRTqqVmgLAvDvew  

 

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WTF?? The Island Airport Jets Debate? Again???

Tues. Mar 31, 7 p.m. ET

Ontario's Premier, Doug Ford, wishes to revive the 2013 idea of turning BBTCA into a large jet port. To do so, he wants to take over the City's ownership stake in airport lands so the airport's operating lease can be rewritten to suit his plan. Join Waterfront for All and No Jets TO as we explore what our panel of airport experts and city planners think might happen.

https://www.waterfrontforall.ca/wtf_the_island_airport_jets_debate_again_speaker_series_22  

 

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LNG: Not In Our National Interest Campaign Launch

Tues. March 31, 7 p.m. ET

“LNG: Not in Our National Interest” is a new national campaign to pressure PM Carney and his key ministers to stop the government from giving billions more of our taxpayer money to dirty energy megaprojects that only benefit foreign billionaires. Join this national campaign launch to hear from movement leaders and experts on why the Ksi Lisims and LNG Canada Phase 2 LNG export projects are not in our national interest and how much better the clean, renewable economy is better on every measure. Now is our chance to tell the Carney government that Canadians say NO to more free money for big polluters, and YES to funding the clean energy economy.

https://stand-earth.zoom.us/webinar/register/5317738586601/WN_J2Rw3ok7Si-oOjkUhNLS8Q#/registration 

 

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Building a wellbeing economy: from grassroots to global change

Tues. March 31, 1 p.m. ET

Join Ecojustice for a free webinar that explores how we can reshape our economic system to prioritize human and ecological wellbeing. The webinar brings together three experts in the wellbeing economy movement to explore practical pathways from community action to international policy change.

https://share-na3.hsforms.com/1Ej5ENlxFTTuMFTb6VBCIMwe6a33  

 

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Navigating the Short- and Long-Term Outlook for Canadian Oil and Gas

Tues. March 31, 1 p.m. ET

Co-hosted by The EnergyMix and Carbon Tracker, this webinar will look at the financial risks ahead for Canadian oil and gas industries. The headline last fall was that investors in Canadian oil and gas will face serious financial risk—and provincial revenues from the industry could fall by as much as 82%—as the global energy transition unfolds through the 2030s. Carbon Tracker analysts will present the research in their two recent reports: Fading Fortunes and Petro-Provinces at Risk, with updates that factor in the impacts of the war. Then we’ll hear reactions from three of Canada’s top climate finance experts: Julie Segal of Environmental Defence Canada, Yrjo Koskinen of the Institute for Sustainable Finance, and Adam Scott of Shift Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health. 

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2eXUoVZXQvalrPE-AwZsUg#/registration  

 

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Virtual Women’s Momentum Assembly for a Just Fossil Fuel Phaseout

Tues. March 31, 1 - 5 p.m. ET

A virtual global assembly with women and gender-diverse leaders in the lead up to the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, a multilateral government convening in Colombia.

https://transitionawayconference.com/ 

 

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Creating the World’s most Liveable City, One Street at a Time

Tues. Apr 7, 11 a.m. ET

Creating the world's most livable city, one street at a time. How the Power of People and Placemaking became a Global movement transforming Melbourne. Guest: Gilbert Rochecouste, founder of Village Well. Melbourne, Australia.

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yhcCo8-rSV-ElLpEaCSecg#/registration  

 

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Getting Into Fights with Data Centres

Tues. April 2, 1 p.m. ET

As a wave of new data centres threatens to reshape the Canadian landscape, join a timely conversation with Anne Pasek. The Trent University professor’s work challenges common assumptions about the carbon footprint of the internet, and she is the author of the widely-shared zine Getting Into Fights With Data Centers. Pasek draws our attention to the infrastructure that makes AI, but also much of the online infrastructure we use day to day, and its impacts on climate and water. As our energy systems struggle to transition away from fossil fuels, data centres are multiplying demands for electricity and water. This discussion, hosted by the Council of Canadians’ Dru Jay, will offer new ways to think about digital systems and their environmental impact. 

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oCYIzDdRRxqzGNVpUtKqVQ#/registration

 

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Do We Need Nuclear Reactors to Create Medical Isotopes?

Wed. April 1, 11 a.m. – noon ET

With Dr. Gordon Edwards

The importance of medical isotopes is often invoked to justify the existence of nuclear power reactors. Medical isotopes are radioactive materials that are used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. But despite nuclear industry hype, the fact is that modern medicine has never depended on nuclear power reactors. Any isotopes (radioactive materials) that are considered medically useful have been either extracted from nature or have been produced in “particle accelerators” such as cyclotrons, or in research reactors that do not produce electricity. In addition, medical procedures that do not involve radioactivity at all are increasingly preferred – they are often less costly and less hazardous, and do not leave a legacy of radioactive waste behind. Learn the facts with independent nuclear expert, Dr. Gordon Edwards, of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility.

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/LzYq4iDlQMq_ZAib-VyS5Q  

 

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Speak Up for Toronto's Renewable Energy Future

Wed. Apr. 1, 7:30 p.m. ET

Join us to learn about the City's electrification strategy and how you can advocate for a clean renewable energy future for Toronto. We are at a key moment in Toronto's energy future and your voice can make the difference. Join advocates from TCAN and Ontario Clean Air Alliance to learn more about the issues and how to make a deputation. Jack Gibbons from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance will review the City's electrification report and speak to Toronto's clean, renewable energy potential. TCAN advocates will cover the basics of how to make an oral or written deputation. You will leave prepared and confident to communicate to councillors on this critical issue.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/speak-up-for-torontos-renewable-energy-future-tickets-1986026251982  

 

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Wildfires - facing up to a future with more fires

Wed. Apr. 1, 8 p.m. ET

Wildfires are no longer a once-a-year emergency in Canada. In 2025, fires burned more than 8.3 million hectares across multiple provinces (roughly the size of New Brunswick), making it the second-worst wildfire season in the country. Some experts warn this could become the new normal. At The Walrus Talks Wildfires, expert voices from the health, climate, policy, and technology sectors come together to explore the impact of the wildfire crisis. Speakers will break down how fires affect public health outcomes, air quality, and the economy, as well as the challenges of rebuilding communities after catastrophic loss and why Indigenous nations are disproportionately affected. With smoke and other side-effects now crossing provincial and national borders, Canadians are asking not whether this will continue, but how we respond.

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-walrus-talks-wildfires-tickets-1982686099496  

 

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More Toronto events 

https://showuptoronto.ca/ 

 

For the best Canadian climate and energy news, visit and subscribe to the Energy Mix newsletter

http://theenergymix.com/ 

 

Democracy Now Daily Show - global peace, justice and enviro news

https://www.democracynow.org/ 

 

Tooker Tapes Archive Project - Youtube Playlist

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3IwhNn-WrINTQz2fBNayDoBWLW0y59le

 

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Submissions, subscribes, unsubscribes, and comments: mailto:angela at cleanairalliance.org 

 

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