We are heading towards more than one global crisis – peak oil and climate change are going to change our world dramatically and quickly, in ways we can’t even imagine at this point. And there’s yet another economic and political crisis looming in the U.S., as the Obama administration goes head to head with the Rethuglicans over draconian budget measures to cut bloated U.S. government spending. Here in Canada we are in the middle of a federal election where the words “climate change” and “sustainability” have barely been mentioned.
Ironically, Stephen Harper seems to be touting Copenhagen as a victory for Canada’s climate change policy – talk about putting his own spin on things! As Elizabeth May pointed out, Copenhagen is “an expedient device for some industrialized countries to avoid their responsibilities”, and it was where Canada swept the “fossil of the day” awards throughout the conference, and ended up being awarded the “Colossal Fossil” for:
“…for bringing a totally unacceptable position into Copenhagen and refusing to strengthen it one bit. Canada’s 2020 target is among the worst in the industrialized world, and leaked cabinet documents revealed that the governments is contemplating a cap-and-trade plan so weak that it would put even that target out of reach.
“Canada has made zero progress here on financing, offering nothing for the short term or the long term beyond vague platitudes. And in last night’s high-level segment, Canada’s environment minister gave a speech so lame that it didn’t include a single target, number or reference to the science.
“Canada’s performance here in Copenhagen builds on two years of delay, obstruction and total inaction. This government thinks there’s a choice between environment and economy, and for them, tar sands beats climate every time. Canada’s emissions are headed nowhere but up. For all this and more, we name Canada the Colossal Fossil.”
Only a politician completely out of touch with the basics of climate science as well as the global push to address this crisis (and who is betting that Canadians are equally as out of it) would tout Copenhagen, and Canada’s feeble reduction targets, as victories in the fight against climate change!
The climate crisis is urgent, Canada has the lowest emission reduction targets in the industrialized world, and even the plan to reach those unacceptable targets have not been verified by an independent third-party. Stephen Harper, and his buddies in the Alberta oil patch, are not going to move Canada towards a low-carbon future. Climate change is the single largest challenge that faces our country today, and Stephen Harper is dangerously lacking in vision and, frankly, basic common sense! Every day that Stephen Harper remains prime minister threatens our children’s future. His economic policy is not grounded in any recognition of how Canadians, like every other person on this globe, depend on clean air, clean water, and a stable climate to thrive in every way, including economically.
How can our politicians ignore the science on the climate crisis? We have a rapidly closing window to address this issue. And yes, it requires courage to tackle climate change, but if we don’t act very soon, we are going to slip into that land of runaway global warming where nothing that humanity can do to change it will be enough. I echo Elizabeth May’s question to all the federal party leaders:
How do you aspire to the name “leader” when you are afraid to address the biggest challenge that we face?
More links:
Bloomberg, Clinton Join Forces To Fight Climate Change
Climate Shame As Canada is Named “Colossal Fossil”
Environmental Issues: Elizabeth May and Party Panel on CBC’s The Current
Our children and their children (our grand children) are smart enough to think for themselves, and
all of us DO NOT believe in this Al Gore Global Warming Scam.
And we all agree with PM Stephen Harper that the Kyoto protocol is just another scheme for wealth distribution!
Global Warming is just fear mongering nonsense!
Am I to believe what I’m reading here? I hope this is your misguided idea of a bad joke. This is not funny, and certainly not something to be joked about in such a fashion.
Stevie Harper is concerned about one thing and one thing only. That he protect his ultra wealthy oil buddies in the Alberta tar sands. Anything to force them to clean up their act would be detrimental to his pocket book.
My first suggestion to you is to go up to the tar sands and buy a piece of property right next to it, preferably on the east side where most of the pollution gets blown. Build yourself a nice house and then come back in 7 years and let us all know what kinds of cancer you have.
Have you even seen any aerial video coverage of that disaster? Hunt down some of the excellent David Suzuki video on the subject. If that doesn’t change your mind, it means that you simply don’t have a mind to change.
I am making sure everyone I speak to knows about the Cap & Trade Tax Scam that is going to be FORCED on us IF they vote for NDP, Liberal or Green.
Cap & Trade Tax has rendered Europe Bankrupt……USA Congress has stopped it, so has bankrupt California. This SCAM does NOTHING TO STOP POLLUTION.
PM Stephen Harper has been stalling the Kyoto protocol signed by Jean Chretien when he was PM of Canada.
This is why Ignatieff came back to Canada…..to push this scam down our throats.
To rape us of our very last dollars. If you think your hydro bills are high now, wait until
Cap & Trade is added to them on top of the 40% increase, over 5 yrs., that McGuinty’s provincial liberals shoved down our throats.
PM Harper is even quoted as saying that this is a scam, created for wealth distribution and
Nothing More. It will not stop pollution at all…….watch the video and learn for yourself. Stop buying into propaganda!
Why is the United Nations not going after India & China, who are the biggest polluters???
Canada is NOT.
This video is a Must See – Scary, real Scary.
Cap and Trade Explained (in plain old English) –
(Christine – Missy, get your own blog if you want to post videos. We actually have a standard here re: fact checking and reliability – check out my comment policy)
@Sorry Christine, I only pasted the link for the youtube video. After I click submit, the entire video appeared. I am so not computer savvy. I only know the basics.
This does NOT happen on other sites when people share links. Perhaps you could check this out please.
Sounds like the folks who are scared are the ones who are paying you to troll the internet, “Missy”. And they should be – clean energy scares the beejeebers out of the fossil fuel industry. For the rest of us, we get less toxic waste, cleaner air, and a stable climate. Sounds like a good deal to me!
(and BTW, quoting Harper as proof that something is a scam is laughable – although he does have intimate knowledge of scams, he’s been pulling them on Canadians for the last 5 years. It’s just that the last thing he’d do is be honest about it)
Now here’s something that should really scare Missy – “BUILDING A GREEN ECONOMY: The Economics of Carbon Pricing Carbon & the Transition to Clean, Renewable Fuels” . Oooh, I sense nightmares coming!
http://citizensclimatelobby.org/node/457
Ahhh, I see now Christine…….I am so sorry to have even posted on your blog site. I thought this was an open discussion, not one that is prejudice.
Please remove my posts……I would not want to conflict with your Fear Mongering Agenda.
I like to post on sites where people on both sides of the fence, post their opinions & feelings, rather than on sites that have blinders & obsessions.
Again, Sorry, and please remove ALL my posts. Thx.