It's the lefties' fault. They coulda had a strong, reliable, economical power system.China is already the world’s biggest carbon emitter, well ahead of the U.S., India and the European Union. Its plan to build dozens of new coal plants is forecast to add 1.5 per cent to its total. Many Canadians, not all of them cranks, have wondered what practical purpose there is in twisting the country’s industry into an unproductive pretzel in search of a slightly lower carbon output when we’re responsible for just 1.5 per cent of the global output while China — with 400 times our population —pumps out 26 per cent and has increased its total by 75 per cent since 2005.
After decades of virtue-signalling, the need to put more effort into adaptation is starting to impose itself. Uber-progressive Governor Gavin Newsom is now engaged in a desperate attempt to halt the closure of California’s last remaining nuclear plant, which produces nine per cent of the power in a state whose rickety electrical network, when it’s not fighting bankruptcy, is better known for starting forest fires than providing reliable power.
California and other nearby states are finally facing serious consequences for favouring righteous verbiage over practical preparations during years of drought. Federal authorities recently implemented mandatory cuts to the amount of water Arizona, Nevada and Mexico can take from the Colorado River, with California down the road amid doubts the cuts will be enough to offset the crisis. Still, the urge to posture continues to compete with fear of upsetting voters: a big water-supply strategy recently unveiled by Newsom was quickly derided for failing to seriously address agricultural water usage, which is about 40 per cent of the total.
Like Texas.