Thirty years ago, as concerns grew over dioxins appearing in fish downstream from pulp and paper mills, Swedish firms developed chlorine-free pulp bleaching technologies. Developing these technologies helped protect fish and ecosystems. What’s more, it opened up new markets in Germany for the Swedish firms’ more-environmentally-friendly products, and allowed the leading firms to sell their technology to other jurisdictions. A win for the environment and the economy.

The new Canadian federal government has committed to develop a national climate change plan in co-operation with provincial and territorial governments. Under the previous federal government Canada had committed to a 17% reduction below 2005 levels by 2020 and a 30% reduction by 2030. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna has promised that the previous government’s 2030 commitments will be a “floor” for federal ambition. The big question is: where will these GHG emissions reductions come from?

This week saw Canadians get excited about the 2016 Census, crashing servers and flipping out on social media in their rush to be counted and to contribute to building good data sets. And rightly so – data sets (and the analysis we do based on them) help drive good public policy.

The Natural Capital Symposium is an annual event hosted by the Natural Capital Project (NatCap) at Stanford University that brings together dynamic and inspiring scholars, professionals and experts on natural capital from all around the world. Many of those featured in the event are considered to be celebrities in this field—Hal Mooney (world renowned ecologist at Stanford), Stephen Polasky (from the University of Minnesota) and Mark Tercek (president of the Nature Conservancy), to name a few. And so naturally, it was an enormous privilege to have the opportunity to present my research work on pollution emissions in the Canadian pulp and paper sector at the event this year.

For many of those who have been following Sustainable Prosperity’s work, you’ve likely heard about our “Linking Natural Capital & Productivity” project. This project, made possible by contributions from many partners, aims to shed light on the relationship between economic activity and the environment. Specifically, we’re looking at how the ways we use and impact natural capital are (or aren’t) captured in our measures of productivity. (Our website has a nifty glossary if you’d like more background on terms like natural capital and productivity).

Since its humble beginnings in New York City in 1970, Earth Day has been a celebration of the ecosystems and biodiversity on which we all depend for food, livelihoods, and our quality of life, as well as a call to action to share the earth and not squander our natural heritage.