akaashmaharaj

[akaashmaharaj]

Free Societies and the Free Press

During an interview with Global News, I was astonished by how much newsrooms in Canada's national capital have shrunk.

I know I am tempting the wrath of social media by writing this, but I think the withering of professional journalism is a tragedy.

In the long term, no free society can survive, if its free press fails.

[akaashmaharaj]

Royal Canadian Geographical Society's 2024 Impact Report

This has been an extraordinary year for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society:

One of our expeditions discovered the wreck of the Quest;

Canadian Geographic became Canada's top paid-circulation magazine;

We supported field research that extended public understanding of Canada and the natural world.

I commend our CEO John Geiger and his staff for their stellar accomplishments.

📕 http://via.maharaj.org/rcgs24

[akaashmaharaj]

Pileated Woodpecker in the Ottawa Valley

This woodpecker was content to gather his lunch as I observed his determination.

The pileated woodpecker is likely the largest woodpecker left in North America. The ivory-billed woodpecker, its larger cousin, is now classified as “probably extinct”.

Snow is now drifting down on Ottawa’s Confederation Park. I hope he managed to harvest enough insects to sustain himself.

🦋 http://via.maharaj.org/woodpecker

[akaashmaharaj]

Building Democratic Resilience to Foreign Disinformation

Earlier this year, I was part of a discussion convened by Canada’s Privy Council Office, on “Building Democratic Resilience to Foreign Disinformation”.

The DemocracyXChange has published the proceedings.

The vast majority of disinformation are crude lies and vulgar slurs.  They proliferate online not because of sophisticated deception, but because too many of us are too eager to thoughtlessly spread content that reinforces our own views or debases those who disagree with us.

The fight against disinformation is not only a fight against malign foreign governments.  It is also a struggle within ourselves.

🇨🇦 http://via.maharaj.org/pco-dis

[akaashmaharaj]

On Newfoundland's Waters

During Nature Canada's recent Board meeting, we spent an afternoon on the waters near St John's, Newfoundland.

I found the density of puffins, dolphins, and whales both delightful and moving.

It was a vivd reminder of the extent of Canada's natural blessings, and of the imperative for Canadians to steward our inheritance responsibly.

🐣🐬🐳 https://naturecanada.ca/

[akaashmaharaj]

Join me at Bluesky

I remember the optimism of the early internet: it would dismantle prejudice and help oppressed peoples topple their oppressors.

But we underestimated the ability of malicious actors to weaponise online tools for their own purposes, and turn social media against us.

Perhaps new platforms like Bluesky will reenergise our old dreams.

You can join me there at https://bsky.app/profile/maharaj.org

[akaashmaharaj]

Nature on the Hill 2024

For better and for worse, the choices of modern democracies are decided not by their largest numbers, but by their most committed citizens.

Perhaps Nature Canada's single most important initiative is "Nature on the Hill".

It brings ordinary Canadians to Parliament Hill, to make the case for the protection of nature: in their local communities; across our country; and around the world.

I am grateful to our members for travelling to the national capital to speak truth to power, and to ensure that ministers and legislators heed the voices of the public good.

🌱 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXFEIRKNDA8

[akaashmaharaj]

Goats of the Big Apple

When driving through Colborne, I almost always stop at the Big Apple to pick up an apple pie. Or three.

On my most recent trip, I discovered that it is now home to a tribe of goats.

I like to imagine that they run apple quality control.

🍎🐐 https://thebigapple.ca/

[akaashmaharaj]

Reddit's Public Content Policy and a New Subreddit for Researchers

There is nothing genuinely intelligent about artificial intelligence. Yet, its positive promise to extract meaning from information, and its negative risks to privacy and social cohesion, are all very real.

I volunteered on a Reddit effort to create platform policies to protect an open internet, while restraining the abuse of user information, especially by firms harvesting online data to glut the maw of AI beasts.

It may be a David versus Goliath struggle. But David slew Goliath.

🤖 http://via.maharaj.org/rd-cntnt

[akaashmaharaj]

Goodbye to Susannah Goshko

I was delighted to work with Susannah Goshko during her tenure as UK High Commissioner to Canada.

She was admirably active in supporting our countries' common aspirations towards pluralism, in nurturing relationships between environmental groups, and in drawing together Canadian alumni of British universities.

I wish her well in her new role as UK Ambassador to Mexico.

🇨🇦🇬🇧 http://via.maharaj.org/sgoshko

[akaashmaharaj]

Diplomatic Immunity and Criminal Accountability

Canada grants diplomatic immunity to foreign diplomats, not to place them above our laws, but as the price for us to obtain reciprocal immunity for our own diplomats, especially those representing us in states where false charges are common political weapons.

But what recourse does that leave us, if foreign diplomats commit crimes in Canada?

I spoke with Global News about Canada's options, amidst government allegations that Indian diplomats conspired to murder Canadian citizens on Canadian soil.

⚖️ http://via.maharaj.org/dipimm

[akaashmaharaj]

Voting by White Americans in Presidential Elections

The American presidential election continued a stark, generations-long pattern.

No Democratic presidential candidate has ever won the White vote, at least since exit polls began measuring votes by race in 1976.

It is unclear to me if the Democrats had, or have, any plan to try to break this pattern.

[akaashmaharaj]

Vote for new chancellor of the University of Oxford breaks with centuries of tradition

For the first time in 800 years, Oxford will select its new Chancellor in an election open to Oxonians living anywhere in the world.

It is easy to dismiss the role as a ceremonial artefact of a distant past. But when I was President of the University's Student Union, I saw the Chancellorship's capacity to project reason into the public sphere, and to defend the value of thoughtful scholarship in public discourse.

📰 Read the Globe and Mail article here.

[akaashmaharaj]

The End of COP 16

Well, that was exhausting: COP 16 has drawn to a close.

I only regret that my work as a member of Canada's state delegation left me too little time to support my Nature Canada colleagues, Ted Cheskey and Lillian Trapper. They represented us at civil society events with distinction.

Our negotiations ran late into the night. Physical exhaustion is an effective argument in driving diplomats to agreement.

We had victories on Indigenous representation and protection of genetic resources. We have work yet to do on the treaty's financial architecture.

I am looking forward to returning to the Ottawa Valley, and enjoying nature in its autumnal colours. I hope our work at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity means that many more generations will have that chance, too.

🌱 https://via.maharaj.org/cop16

[akaashmaharaj]

A Victory in Colombia

Our negotiations continued into the dying minutes of COP 16 in Colombia, until they were suspended.

But we did cross one finish line in time.

The world's Indigenous Peoples will now have their own permanent body at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, to speak for themselves and defend their own lands and waters.

This is a landmark moment in United Nations treaty-making.

It was a long night, but also a good day.

🌱 https://via.maharaj.org/cop16

[akaashmaharaj]

Final 24 Hours of Negotiations at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity COP 16

We are into the final twenty-four hours of negotiations at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity COP 16.

One critical issue is coming down to the wire: the creation of an "Article 8J" body, to enable Indigenous people to speak for themselves at the convention, in defence of their own lands, waters, and sovereignty.

My colleagues and I are committed to the creation of this body. Some states are opposed.

It is a fundamental test of character for international diplomacy.

🌱 https://via.maharaj.org/cop16

[akaashmaharaj]

“Canada’s Environment Minister didn’t make it to the UN nature summit. He blames the opposition.”

Because of the government's political fragility, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault decided not to travel to Colombia to join Canada's state delegation to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity's COP16.

I spoke with The Narwhal about whether his absence is affecting our negotiations.

🌱 http://via.maharaj.org/cop16-nar