Chris Turner

MY MOST RECENT CONTENT

Germany: A cleantech case study for a post-Fukushima world

Tue, Jul 05 2011 at 12:19 PM

In the wake of the worst nuclear disaster in a generation, Germany doubled down on a decade of success, pledging to eliminate nukes by 2022 and switch almost exclusively to renewable power by 2050. A report from the front lines.

Is the future of urban innovation in leisure or new industry?

Thu, May 19 2011 at 10:30 AM

For a generation, decaying industrial cities have looked to leisure megaprojects for salvation — from casinos and stadiums to festivals and conventions. In these lean times, maybe cleantech R&D would be a smarter bet.

Climate scientists unveil new communications tool: Hip hop

Tue, May 17 2011 at 10:14 AM

In a goofy, profane, self-mocking rap video, a handful of young Australian climate scientists preach an inconvenient truth: There are two few scientists at the center of the public conversation about climate change.

Coal Cares brings biting satire to clean energy debate

Wed, May 11 2011 at 2:07 PM

A note-perfect 'clean coal' parody site has become the talk of the Internet. With its Coal Cares campaign, the heretofore unknown activist group Coal is Killing Kids leaps into the energy debate — with a biting laugh.

10 simple steps (and pedals and rides) cities are taking to move beyond the automobile

Fri, May 06 2011 at 5:58 PM

In a magnificent mini-epic series, Streetfilms has created a handy, eye-catching primer to the most important transformation our cities need to create real sustainability.

In the persuasion game, beware the backfire effect

Thu, May 05 2011 at 9:39 AM

For a generation, activists have built their protest movement on the scientific facts of climate change. But the facts of another kind of science — neuroscience — indicate that this only reinforces the point of view of the unconvinced.

A Spanish train may have created the perfect solution to long-distance travel

Fri, Apr 29 2011 at 4:14 PM

In less than 20 years, Spain turned its joke of a rail network into the best high-speed system on the planet. And the real revolution happened once people stepped off the rails.

Do robber barons ride fast trains? (And other questions in the high-speed rail debate)

Thu, Apr 28 2011 at 8:32 AM

As high-speed rail comes (finally!) to America, it may be important to remember the lessons of the 19th-century rail boom. It may be even more important to learn the lessons of the boom already under way this century.

Earth Day's framing problem

Fri, Apr 22 2011 at 3:03 PM

By treating 'the environment' as something outside our daily lives, Earth Day is no longer calibrated to meet the scope of the climate and energy crises — nor the world to be gained by reinventing civilization. Earth Day: 1970-2011, RIP?

A maverick architect proposes radical tool for liberating urban space: Cars without drivers

Thu, Apr 21 2011 at 2:10 PM

Bjarke Ingels, wunderkind of Scandinavian architecture, based his idea that cars autopiloted by computer on smart solar roads could reinvent the city. His slideshow makes for pulse-racing eye candy.

Commenting (8)

Actually, the folks in Europe

Fri, Mar 30 2012 at 12:54 PM

Actually, the folks in Europe go to the nearest square and sit out at cafes on warm evenings. Together. In public. There are no drive-by shootings there because no one has guns.

I'll throw in my two cents on

Tue, Nov 01 2011 at 1:37 PM

I'll throw in my two cents on this, Jenn. Very thoughtful response, and I recognize that half a century of car-centred urban planning (even at small-town scale) has turned walkable neighbourhoods into a certain kind of luxury. As with urban cycling, the safety of walkability comes in numbers, in what Jane Jacobs called "eyes on the street." I certainly can't speak authoritatively to your situation, but one thing I always stress in these conversations is that sustainability shouldn't be a chore, especially for kids. It should be joyous, reinvigourating, exciting. If it isn't, maybe your town isn't ready for it on that particular front. I gather the main reason your kids don't like it is because they're by themselves. Would there be a way to channel their energies into advocacy, maybe something like a one-day-a-month walk or ride to school day just to get some more kids engaged? Just a thought. Like I said, sustainability's not one-size-fits-all and it shouldn't be a constant battle. If it is, I'd argue the energy's better spent on something else.

Consider the source indeed.

Mon, Oct 10 2011 at 11:53 AM

Consider the source indeed. In classical logic, this is known as an ad hominem argument and is not generally thought to be a strong tactic. My credentials, for the record, are mostly as a journalist with 15 years' experience and nearly all of those on the climate/energy/tech beat. You think rocket scientists write their own press?

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Chris Turner is an author, journalist and public speaker covering climate change and sustainability issues. His most recent book, the bestseller The Geography of Hope: A Tour of the World We Need (Random House Canada, 2007), was named one of The Globe & Mail's Best Books of the year and shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for Nonfiction and the National Business Book Award. His narrated visual tour of The Geography of Hope has captivated audiences ranging from Environmental Defence summits to Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers galas. He was a featured speaker at the 2008 Alfred Deakin Innovation Lectures in Melbourne, Australia.

Turner is also the author of the international bestseller Planet Simpson: How A Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation (2004). He writes a monthly feature on sustainability for The Globe & Mail. His magazine writing mostly for the late, great Shift Magazine has earned him four Canadian National Magazine Awards and six honourable mentions, including the 2001 President's Medal for General Excellence (the highest honour in Canadian magazine writing). His writing and reporting on culture, technology and the environment have also appeared in Fast Company, Time Magazine, The Independent (UK), Maclean's, Canadian Geographic, The Walrus, Azure and Utne Reader. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, with his wife, the photographer Ashley Bristowe, and their daughter, Sloane.

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Chris Turner

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