So... some excitement in Edmonton...[David] Suzuki said Friday in Calgary that if the premier "doesn't realize not doing anything about greenhouse gases is going to wreck the economy," he doesn't deserve to be a leader, according to a story in the Calgary Herald.I agree. It will take action, from our politicians like Stelmach... which we have yet to see any... Stelmach continued...
Alberta needs to ease up on oilsands development until industry catches up with more efficient ways of extracting energy, Suzuki said.
Stelmach hit back on Saturday. "Tackling the issue of greenhouse-gas reduction will require more than hot air and grandstanding."
"Mr. Suzuki's comments reflect the unproductive emotional rhetoric and personal attacks that distract from efforts to find constructive solutions."Well, I'm sure if our political leaders were actually looking for and enacting "constructive solutions" there would be much less "emotional rhetoric" floating around.
I wonder if Mr. Stelmach has seen Al Gore's now Oscar Award winning Inconvenient Truth?
"Personal attacks"?
ReplyDeleteBuddy, you don't know the first thing about "personal attacks".
I wonder if Dr. Suzuki left Calgary in one of those gas guzzling vehicles or whether he got on his mountain bike and rode back to the airport to fly off to his next city on his cross Canada tour.
ReplyDeleteActually, Dr. Suzuki believes in carbon credits. These are contributions made to the fight on climate change to equate the negative impact made by his actions. So, for example, by leaving "Calgary in one of those gas guzzling vehicles" (as you put it), he would make positive contributions to the environment to cancel out the negative effects.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 7:53 AM,
ReplyDelete"Actually, Dr. Suzuki believes in carbon credits. These are contributions made to the fight on climate change to equate the negative impact made by his actions. So, for example, by leaving "Calgary in one of those gas guzzling vehicles" (as you put it), he would make positive contributions to the environment to cancel out the negative effects."
So, in effect, you are saying "He is David Suzuki - just trust him". Why does he get a free pass? He hasn't done any objective science since he stopped looking at fruit flies over 20 years ago. He took the media's bait, and publicly denounced the Premier despite not having the faintest idea of work done in the oilsands - or even knowing the Premier's name. Don Braid in Sunday's Calgary Herald (no fawning sycophaunt for Stelmach) had it right. He said that David Suzuki risks becoming a parody of himself.
Oh, and daveberta, did you not see the irony in the Hollywood crowd lining up behind Gore for the fight against climate change? Talk about calling the kettle black. How many of the people in the crowd live in several multi-thousand-square foot mansions, and fly around the globe in their own private jets? It'll take more than a few energy efficient light bulbs to offset their "carbon footprint". The hypocrisy last night was absolutely stunning.
The fact that Gore got an Oscar for his movie makes it no more or less compelling to me. Pan's Labyrinth also won a few Oscars. Both have elements of fantasy. You don't think Democrat Hollywood was trying to send George W a message giving Gore an Oscar?
Anonymous 8:11:
ReplyDeleteI agree it is sad to see Hollywood stars lining up to jump on the climate change bandwagon. But I don't care why they are jumping on now, just like I don't care why Harper did a 180 and is now being called green. The point is they are trying - at least they're doing something>.
Which I think is Suzuki's point too. I agree it would be irresponsible for us to follow Suzuki blindly, but just because he doesn't know the premier's name dosen't make his case less compelling. I'd argue it makes it more compelling.
I think his point is: It doesn't matter who the premier is (or who is prime minister or which Hollywood stars are Gore's new friends), the time for positioning is over and it is time to do SOMETHING.
So far the Alberta government - regardless of who is premier or what party has the majority of votes - has done very little.
I'm not surprised that fat-cat elites like Suzuki or Al Gore can afford to pay for some "hot air credits" and buy a clear conscience.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, ordinary people are busy trying to pay their rent and feed their family.
After all, why should Suzuki care about massive job losses when HE won't be affected?
" I'm not surprised that fat-cat elites like Suzuki or Al Gore"
ReplyDeleteAs opposed to the fat-cat elite conservative oil tycoons in Calgary?
black...
ReplyDeletewhite...
oh yeah, black ....
screw you, white ....
Speaking of unproductive emotional rhetoric, I'm surprised people let Premier Stelmach off the hook so easily for his comments from a few weeks ago about how capping oil sands expansion would "devastate" Alberta's economy. Talk about hyperbole.
ReplyDeleteThis black and white comment by Anonymous is right on.
ReplyDeleteSuzucki has to get to know more about Alberta...he is "right-ish" on our past non-tackling of the issues but "wrong-ish" to presume we are still disengaged and thinking only about the short term economic payoffs.
Stelmach has to stop framing the issue as brakes or no brakes for the oil sands and more on what level of development can we actually handle as a province.
We have made a mess of a 1.1B bbl per day level of production with a mere 5 years of squandering of opportunity by political inaction.
To go to 3+B bbl per day in 8 more years from this social and environmental deficit we have created is not prudent without serious planning and long term big time public investment into filling the eco-social holes we have punched into our places and spaces.
We better get really serious about an integrated triple bottom line approach for government, industry, society and each and every one of us individually if that kind of production is to be our goal.
So stop the little boy recess pissing contest..no on cares how you perform on that "stage." Get serious - REALLY serious - and start planning to adapt.
The planet has only "enjoyed/endured" the human species for only about 150K years of its 4.5B year existence...it owes us nothing and will do just fine without us...how stupid are we to be, notwithstanding our bigger yet more "dense" brain?
Bannish the narcissism and personal pride games and lets get focused and starting right now people.
STFU re personality politics...take you vote seriously and show up but for your own sake -get informed first!
"Anonymous said... Actually, Dr. Suzuki believes in carbon credits. These are contributions made to the fight on climate change to equate the negative impact made by his actions. So, for example, by leaving "Calgary in one of those gas guzzling vehicles" (as you put it), he would make positive contributions to the environment to cancel out the negative effects."
ReplyDeleteI seem to recall way back when Dr. Suzuki was a neighbour of sorts he was opposing how much garbage people was throwing away. He took a real public stand and ended up cancelling his garbage pick up claiming he didn't need to throw anything away so he wouldn't. Then a week or so later he was caught throwing all his bags of garbage into a private dumpster behind a store. It was a bit of a local scandal I suppose, but Dr. Suzuki is just as human as everyone else. Although I think he deserves credit for doing way more than anyone in his audience is likely prepared to do.
Now, on the issue of carbon offsetting I have mixed feelings. I find most people use this (or intend to use this) as a convenient excuse or a way to appear more holier than thou. If you are still contributing your regular level of carbon emissions intol the atmosphere you are still doing damage whether you give a donation to plant a few trees or not (a bit tongue in cheek I know). That damage, in the long run, will negate anything you think you can buy your way out of now. It doesn't cancel out your emissions or their negative effects.
I think offsetting your emissions only works in conjunction with a bunch of other efforts (some might say "sacrifices"). For example, Dr. Suzuki could have taken the Red Arrow from Calgary to Edmonton (a bus that is already coming, rather than drive his own) and then paid to offset the amount of carbon that caused.
Further, the people coming to see him at the university - one hopes they took transit. If they really needed to drive, perhaps they selected some sort of hybrid car or low emissions vehicle, paid to have the best type of fuel in it and drove a few friends too! However, as there is no need to take a car to the university I imagine everyone walked or took the bus anyways.
Just my two cents worth. I think it's easy to talk about doing stuff without actually ever intending on doing anything useful. Afterall, thats more human than not.
ug. spam.
ReplyDelete