The Current for Jan. 29, 2021
Today on The Current:
U.S. President Joe Biden signed a series of executive orders to combat climate change this week, from cutting fossil fuel subsidies to pausing new oil and gas leases on federal land. Climate scientist Michael E. Mann and Mayor Patrick Payton, of Midland, Texas, give their take on the plans, and Merran Smith, executive director of Clean Energy Canada, discusses what they might mean for this country.
Plus, as rumours swirl about the fate of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Canadian athletes Jordie Steen and Maggie MacNeil say they're trying to ignore the uncertainty of the pandemic, and focus on training for the podium. To discuss the considerations of holding the Games amid the pandemic, we also talk to David Shoemaker, CEO and Secretary General of the Canadian Olympic Committee, and Morgan Campbell, a senior contributor for CBC Sports.
Then, astrophysicist and Harvard University professor Avi Loeb makes the case for why he thinks aliens were behind a giant cigar-shaped object that passed by our planet in 2017 — and what he makes of the skepticism from fellow scientists.
And Globe and Mail health columnist André Picard joins us to discuss COVID-19 variants, vaccine distribution, travel bans and masks.