There have been two major environmental successes in our time - the stabilising of the size of the Ozone Hole, and the reduction of Acid Rain.
Those were both achieved by reducing those pollutants that CAUSED the problems. It was found that CFCs [refrigerants and sprays] were causing the depletion of ozone, so we banned them. As for acid rain, the sulphur from industrial processes was the culprit and reducing it solved the problem.
Currently, there are three major issues - global warming, smog, and toxic pollution that causes cancer and other illensses. These have been argued to death, denied to the hilt, and finally accepted as obviously evident. Thats they typical way of finding truth eh?
The CAUSE of all three is fossil fuels emissions - greenhouse gases of CO2 and methane are causing the global temperature to rise, and smog from vehicle emissions in large cities, and toxins from industrial use of fossil fuels AND [this is important] the petrochemicals that are used in making many, most, or all our consumer goods - shampoos, laundry detergants,fire retardants, pharmaceuticals [pills made from various chemicals that typically come from petrochemical sources] etc etc.
Under the Tory Green Plan, details to be revealed next month, I predict that there will be NO REDUCTION IN FOSSIL FUEL USEAGE by Canadians, and that therefore there will be NO REDUCTION IN SMOG, TOXIC POLLUTANTS, and most troubling, no help to reduce the greatest threat to our way of life and life in fact for many species - GLOBAL WARMING.
Harper will also ensure that there are no serious reductions by STALLING. This is an favorite tactic of the fossil fuel industry - STALLING regulations and programs that would actually reduce our carbon emissions.... They did it for years with fake science about gloabl warming, allways paid for by the fossil fools corporations, esp Exxon. Nobody is being charged with treason for that fake science, despite the threat to our way of life.
There will be some very green sounding proposals, but with a long time line, and ways to avoid changes like emissions trading [where you can spew more than you should by using special "accounting proceedures"].
These proposals are all going to be hot air, just pandering to voters without any serious thoughts to actual envirnmental problems..."[Harper] gets that the environment is key to middle-class voters in the centre of the political spectrum, where elections are won". Thats all he wants, no real solutions... more Harpocracy.
The one thing that will be missing is the phrase "we must reduce our use of fossil fuels", depite fossil fuels being the primary CAUSE of all three areas of concern [smog, toxins, global warming].
Here is one opinion of the Tory Green Plan, scroll down to Climate Change section [my highlights] :
http://thetyee.ca/Views/2006/01/20/HardOnNature/
Those were both achieved by reducing those pollutants that CAUSED the problems. It was found that CFCs [refrigerants and sprays] were causing the depletion of ozone, so we banned them. As for acid rain, the sulphur from industrial processes was the culprit and reducing it solved the problem.
Currently, there are three major issues - global warming, smog, and toxic pollution that causes cancer and other illensses. These have been argued to death, denied to the hilt, and finally accepted as obviously evident. Thats they typical way of finding truth eh?
The CAUSE of all three is fossil fuels emissions - greenhouse gases of CO2 and methane are causing the global temperature to rise, and smog from vehicle emissions in large cities, and toxins from industrial use of fossil fuels AND [this is important] the petrochemicals that are used in making many, most, or all our consumer goods - shampoos, laundry detergants,fire retardants, pharmaceuticals [pills made from various chemicals that typically come from petrochemical sources] etc etc.
Under the Tory Green Plan, details to be revealed next month, I predict that there will be NO REDUCTION IN FOSSIL FUEL USEAGE by Canadians, and that therefore there will be NO REDUCTION IN SMOG, TOXIC POLLUTANTS, and most troubling, no help to reduce the greatest threat to our way of life and life in fact for many species - GLOBAL WARMING.
Harper will also ensure that there are no serious reductions by STALLING. This is an favorite tactic of the fossil fuel industry - STALLING regulations and programs that would actually reduce our carbon emissions.... They did it for years with fake science about gloabl warming, allways paid for by the fossil fools corporations, esp Exxon. Nobody is being charged with treason for that fake science, despite the threat to our way of life.
There will be some very green sounding proposals, but with a long time line, and ways to avoid changes like emissions trading [where you can spew more than you should by using special "accounting proceedures"].
These proposals are all going to be hot air, just pandering to voters without any serious thoughts to actual envirnmental problems..."[Harper] gets that the environment is key to middle-class voters in the centre of the political spectrum, where elections are won". Thats all he wants, no real solutions... more Harpocracy.
The one thing that will be missing is the phrase "we must reduce our use of fossil fuels", depite fossil fuels being the primary CAUSE of all three areas of concern [smog, toxins, global warming].
Here is one opinion of the Tory Green Plan, scroll down to Climate Change section [my highlights] :
Climate change
Harper has said that he will "address the issue [of climate change]…with a made-in-Canada plan, emphasizing new technologies, developed in concert with the provinces and in coordination with other major industrial countries." He also told Radio Canada this month that the Kyoto protocol is "not the right approach" to combat climate change.
This coded message is music to the ears of oil executives everywhere, and is clearly the type of shameful retreat from mandatory emissions targets that has taken root south of the border.
The science behind climate change is clear and becoming more worrisome almost every day. Every additional delay will make future solutions more difficult.
Fiscal conservatives like Stephen Harper should understand the simple principle of living within our means. His apparent retreat on mandatory emission reductions would damn future generations of Canadians to deal with the environmental deficits we are recklessly racking up today, while wasting time looking for technological fixes to our oil addiction.
http://thetyee.ca/Views/2006/01/20/HardOnNature/