LightNews — News, ranked by scholars

A system built on fear is killing people. From Minnesota to Canada, immigration enforcement is crossing moral lines by detaining children, ending lives, and eroding human rights. As an immigrant, I re...

March 8, 2026 at 6:47 AM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

My thoughts on the ICE raids and a cautionary tale for Canadians.

alisonywlam.wixsite.com/alisonlam-fo...

I Am an Immigrant

Introducing Weaving Green Justice: Bearing Witness at COP30

January 27, 2026 at 5:12 AM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

After over two years as the Ontario State Chair, I have been named the Canada Country Chair of the G100 Security & Defence Wing. I look forward to continuing a project I intend to make a cornerstone of my activism in human security and gender defence.

alisonywlam.wixsite.com/g100-securit...

As the newly appointed Canada Country Chair for G100 Security & Defence, I am proud to share my most recent work that brought me here. Weaving Green Justice is my autoethnographic vlog from COP30, doc...

Oil, Fire, and Conflict in Venezuela

January 16, 2026 at 11:13 PM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

A reflection on Venezuela’s crisis, condemning both Maduro’s abuses and the deadly U.S. invasion that has left civilians facing fear, darkness, and devastation.

alisonywlam.wixsite.com/alisonlam-fo...

From Maduro’s Authoritarianism to Trump’s Insatiable Greed

01x10 Weaving Green Justice at COP30 - Canada's Silence and the Belém Package

January 3, 2026 at 9:18 PM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

Canada is Fossil of the Day. It's embarrassing, but we deserve it. #COP30

youtu.be/gtKYg78g8IM?...

01x09 Weaving Green Justice at COP30: Fire in the Blue Zone

November 29, 2025 at 8:28 PM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

A quick update from the ground on a tragedy that will affect the COP negotiations. #COP30

youtu.be/lUgM0vJcJOo?...

01x08 Weaving Green Justice at COP30 - Defining Gender, Deferring Justice

November 22, 2025 at 1:59 AM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

How much gender justice can there be if each party can provide its own definition of gender? #COP30

youtu.be/rT0841hTvgE?...

01x07 Weaving Green Justice at COP30 - The Language of Negotiations

November 20, 2025 at 10:25 PM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

In this episode, we begin to delve into the actual negotiations. #COP30

youtu.be/p7j6otECdpM?...

01x06 Weaving Green Justice at COP30 - Barriers and Badges

November 20, 2025 at 1:06 AM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

What does being the most inclusive COP ever mean? #COP30

youtu.be/Jl8DnX8MHlo?...

01x05 Weaving Green Justice at COP30 - First Steps into the Blue Zone

November 18, 2025 at 12:12 AM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

After a week in São Paulo, I've finally arrived at COP. How did my previous experiences shape my thoughts on the negotiations? #COP30

youtu.be/G3arC5cBIvM?...

01x04 Weaving Green Justice at COP30 - Final Thoughts on São Paulo

November 16, 2025 at 10:23 AM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

Here is the latest episode of Weaving Green Justice at COP30, tying up my visit to São Paulo as I head to Belém. #COP30

youtu.be/cR2gziKZgLU?...

01x03 Weaving Green Justice at COP30 - Lost in Translation

November 15, 2025 at 2:38 PM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

The next episode of Weaving Green Justice at COP30 is now available! This one continues to explore the challenges that COP delegates potentially face, and how they may feel, when required to negotiate in a language not their own. #COP30

youtu.be/Oj7-6Q-dX08?...

Genocide Beyond the Frame of Reconciliation

November 14, 2025 at 12:19 PM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

Canada did not merely assimilate; it was genocide. From unmarked graves to electroshock torture and forced sterilizations, the harm was systemic, deliberate, and ongoing. Denying what it is, commemorating one day a year, is erasure. #truthandreconciliation

alisonywlam.wixsite.com/alisonlam-fo...

Canada did not merely assimilate Indigenous children; it executed genocide. From unmarked graves to electroshock torture, nutrition experiments, and forced sterilizations, the harm was systemic, delib...

Politics of Exclusion: COP30 and the Theatre of Climate Justice

October 1, 2025 at 12:52 PM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

Brazil’s decision to host COP30 in Belém is framed as a symbolic gesture: a summit in the heart of the Amazon What good is symbolism when the people most affected by climate change are priced out of involvement? #cop30 #climatechange #ClimateAction

alisonywlam.wixsite.com/alisonlam-fo...

Brazil’s decision to host COP30 in Belém is framed as a symbolic gesture: a summit in the heart of the Amazon, where delegates can experience the urgency of climate change firsthand. But this gesture ...

A Flawed System: Strategic Voting and Democratic Distortion in Canada

August 23, 2025 at 9:18 PM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

While Canadians believe that we live in an environment with a fair and just electoral system, it is clear that the system actually changes the way voters think about democracy. @theglobalgreens.bsky.social @canadiangreens.bsky.social #ParticipatoryDemocracy

alisonywlam.wixsite.com/alisonlam-fo...

While Canadians, along with many other “democratic” societies, believe that we live in an environment with a fair and just electoral system, it is clear upon deeper inspection that the system actually changes the way citizens and voters think and feel about democracy and politics. A flawed electoral system doesn’t just skew results, it rewires our understanding of what is considered to be democratic.

01x07 Organisation de la campagne avec Isabella Robinson

August 15, 2025 at 8:03 PM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

Dans cet épisode, @mj-yelle.bsky.social s'entretient avec Isabella Robinson, organisatrice de campagne expérimentée et bénévole pour @canadiangreens.bsky.social et @greens.org.au.

open.spotify.com/episode/4qYj...

GPC Women's Caucus Podcast · Episode

open.spotify.com

August 13, 2025 at 9:46 PM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

Last week, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion affirming that nation states have legal obligations to protect the climate system. This resonates deeply with the arguments I presented earlier this month. #COP30 #ClimateAction @theglobalgreens.bsky.social

alisonywlam.wixsite.com/alisonlam-fo...

From Symbolic Interactions to Accountability: COP29 and the ICJ’s Climate Ruling

Last week, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an historic advisory opinion affirming that nation states have legal obligations to protect the climate system and that failure to act may co...

Intercooperation for Our Common Futures

July 29, 2025 at 9:10 PM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

I had the opportunity to present at the ICA-CCR Global Research Conference, held from July 8–11, 2025. My talk explored how the Global Greens confederation behaves like a political or hybrid cooperative. @lhaecomms.bsky.social @oiseuoft.bsky.social

alisonywlam.wixsite.com/green-politi...

I had the opportunity to present at the ICA-CCR Global Research Conference, held from July 8–11, 2025. My talk, "Reimagining Cooperative Movements: Global Greens Governance Within Jack Quarter’s Socia...

Inclusive Solidarities: Reimagining Boundaries in Divided Times

July 27, 2025 at 4:37 PM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

Earlier this July, I presented at the #SASE2025 conference. My presentation explored how the COP process functions not simply as a mechanism for policy coordination, but as a performance of meaning-making, where language, symbolism, and power intersect.

alisonywlam.wixsite.com/green-politi...

Earlier this July, I presented at the 2025 Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE) conference in Montréal. Our session focused on the discursive and institutional dynamics behind sustain...

Canadian Sociological Association (CSA) Conference - Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences Congress 2025 - Part 2

July 23, 2025 at 6:12 PM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

The second paper I presented in Montréal was both within and outside my comfort zone, at the International Cooperative Alliance conference at HEC Montréal. My paper positioned the @theglobalgreens.bsky.social as a political cooperative using Jack Quarter's framework. @oiseuoft.bsky.social

July 18, 2025 at 3:10 AM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

I recently presented at the #SASE2025 Conference at the Palais des Congres de Montreal, one of two conferences I attended simultaneously in Montréal. The paper I presented was close to my heart, speaking to the failures of #COP29 through the lens of symbolic interactionism. @lhaecomms.bsky.social

July 14, 2025 at 1:43 PM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

I found myself once again immersed in discussions at the #CSA, this time within the Violence and Society Research Cluster. This presentation tackled displacement, exclusion, and environmental racism in urban spaces through a case study of Kowloon Walled City.

alisonywlam.wixsite.com/green-politi...

Fresh from presenting in the Environmental Sociology Research Cluster, I found myself once again immersed in critical discussions at the Canadian Sociological Association (CSA) Conference, this time w...

Canadian Sociological Association (CSA) Conference - Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences Congress 2025 - Part 1

July 9, 2025 at 9:52 AM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

At this year’s #FSSHC #Congress2025, I presented as part of the #ESRC. My paper explored the ways in which grassroots political environmental movements can influence global policy frameworks through cooperative, democratic engagement.

alisonywlam.wixsite.com/green-politi...

This year’s Federation of Social Sciences and Humanities Congress 2025 was an inspiring convergence of scholars, researchers, and thought leaders committed to advancing knowledge and societal change. ...

Personal Reflections on Canada Day

July 4, 2025 at 2:03 PM

Alison Lam

@alisonywlam.bsky.social

Every year on July 1st, I find myself reflecting deeply on what it means to celebrate Canada Day. For many, it is a day of fireworks, barbecues, and national pride. For me, it becomes more complicated.

alisonywlam.wixsite.com/alisonlam-fo...

Every year on July 1st, I find myself reflecting deeply on what it means to celebrate Canada Day. For many, it is a day of fireworks, barbecues, and national pride. For me, it becomes more complicated...