Trashy's World

The old adage, actions speak louder than words has never been more applicable than to the news that the CPC is shutting down the climate change research station off Ellesmere Island.

It is common knowledge that the Harperites and their core supporters (read: he oil and gas industry, Sarah Palin) do not accept the science that – to any intelligent individual – points to overwhelming evidence that the planet is warming up and that human activities have and are contributing to this.

It’s quite clear we have a government that says they believe this is an issue but really don’t care about it.  Andrew Weaver, climatologist at the University of Victoria

But the minority government had yet to do anything to show this view. Yes, lots of inaction but not a lot of action. This withdrawal of research funding tells me three things:

1) Any hope that the Cons would change their position on climate change is as dead as the Leafs’ playoff hopes.
2) We should expect more of this type of the decision in the future.
3) The Cons much vaunted ballyhooing about being a solid supporter of the scientific community is a bunch of crap.

To Iggy and Jack : please merge your parties, force an election and kick these cowboys all the way back to Calgary!!!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Tweet This Post

This article flew a little under the radar, but in it, ReformCon Minister Maxime Bernier states that the cautious approach to climate change has been exactly what Canadians have needed since:

the debate on the scientific basis of climate, stifled for years by political correctness, finally broke out openly in the media

and that:

De très sérieux scientifiques croient toutefois qu’on sous-estime l’influence du soleil et d’autres facteurs qui n’ont rien à voir avec le CO2 dans l’étude des changements climatiques.

which, translated, says – more or less that there are some very serious scientists who think that the influence of the sun and other factors that have nothing to do with CO2 are underestimated  in climate change studies.

Good thing they are serious scientists…

Over at bloggingtories.ca, M. Bernier is being hailed as a hero! As the second coming of Jim Prentice! As a brave soul who is breaking away from the Mamby-pambyness of the Harperites and saying it like it is!

Here are some of the reactions:

My Friend Maxime Bernier is a… – “The reaction from the chicken littles has been of course hysteria. Keep up the good work Maxime. One day you will be HM PM.”

Thank you Maxime Bernier for being the first politician to have the courage to publicly acknowledge what we all have been aware of for the last several months – that the so-called ’settled science’  is unraveling and the alarmists’ hysteria is a crock as Lorrie Goldstein points out today – Mad Max makes sense.

Yikes! They are all a-twitter! NeoCons are excited! Look out!!!! Madness will ensue!

But seriously, this is a problems for this guy:

Harper relies on strict and unwavering adherence to the message. And Max has broken this sacrament. He may have a real internal problem on his hands and the opposition parties will undoubtedly point to this in the coming months.

Of course, the distancing has begun:

Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice’s office was quick to distance itself from Bernier’s letter.

Prentice’s spokesman, Frédéric Baril, told CBC News that Bernier’s opinions are his own and are not at all in line with those of the environment ministers or the Conservative government

It will be amusing to see how this plays out… hee-hee…

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Tweet This Post

As a result of it’s government’s complete lack of global responsibility and environmental negligence, my country has been awarded the Colossal Fossil on the last day of the COP 15!

Woo-hoo! We’re Number 1!

“Thank you to the Alberta Tar Sands and the Alberta Government for this dishonour. As well, I’d like to thank the National Post, The Fraser Institute and the National Taxpayer’s Federation for helping to bring this about. But of course, my most sincere and deepest thanks go to Prime Minister Harper whose lack of leadership and vision on this file have led to the greatest international vilification that this country has ever known!”

COPENHAGEN — Canada was handed a “Colossal Fossil” award in Copenhagen on Friday, a scornful accolade meant to shame countries that a coalition of environmental groups believes are stalling on greenhouse gas emissions reductions and climate adaptation financing packages.

Canada has already won a number of Fossil of the Day awards, but Friday’s award made it the fossil leader for the entire Copenhagen climate change conference.

“This is the third year in a row that Canada has won,” said Victoria activist Maia Green, the co-ordinator of the Canadian Youth Delegation to Copenhagen. “They’ve been blocking progress, and been very obstructionist.”

The awards are judged by a coalition climate change organizations under the banner of Climate Action Network International, which counts a significant number of Canadian environmental organizations as members.

Canada has been targeted for what the group characterizes as weak emission-reduction targets, a 20 per cent reduction from 2006 levels by 2020. The group says leaked cabinet documents suggest the government is contemplating a cap-and-trade plan that would set special rules for certain industrial sectors, such as the oilsands. Canada has also not offered any concrete numbers when it comes to adaptation financing for poor countries in the short or long term “beyond vague platitudes,” said a released from the climate group.

As Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner prepared to leave Copenhagen on Friday, he didn’t make much of the title, saying the Canadian government has set realistic climate change timelines and objectives.

“It’s pretty predictable,” Renner said of Canada being named the Colossal Fossil.

O Canada!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Tweet This Post

While the rest of the planet is pleading countries like Canada to take a stand on GHG emissions, the Harperites are settling into their environmentally Neanderthal form.

Since I am somewhat lacking on the creative front at the present time, I quote a commenter on the cbc.ca site. What this dude is saying pretty much sums up how I and many Canadians, feel at the moment. Where is the paper bag?

For the first time in my life, I am embarrassed to be Canadian. I am embarrassed by my government and their flat-earth politics that cater to the oil industry.

And not just in terms of their backwardness regarding the pollution of our air and water. I am embarrassed at their policy of squandering our valuable oil reserves.

Other countries retain the ability to ensure that their reserves are extracted in a responsible manner that benefits the current and future citizens of their country. Our industry lapdogs sell it off to the highest investing foreign investor to extract as quickly as they wish. The foreign company gets the profits, we get one, maybe two, generations of wages.

I am embarrassed of what this country is becoming as our apathy permits the conservative lapdogs to sell out our reputation and non-renewable riches.

I tell my kids we live in the greatest country on earth. But, even at 7 years old, my son is already starting to question the flat-earth attitude. I guess the next thing to tell him is that, sometimes, the selfish greed of a few that don’t give a damn about future generations can rule the day.

Yeah. And how long can we put up with this?

I know Iggy et al haven’t been exactly inspiring, but can’t someone, ANYONE step up to the plate?

PLEASE?

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Tweet This Post

Once again, Canada is a world freakin’ leader when it comes to environmental policies.

ESPECIALLY  those policies that may help keep Halifax’s Citadel Hill from becoming Citadel Island.

NOT!

And this moron is our ENVIRONMENT Minister?

The Conservative government has promised to cut Canada’s emissions by 20 per cent below 2006 levels by the year 2020. Prentice said he’s optimistic that despite these delays, Canada will still meet that target.

Woo-hoo! We rock.

We used to, anyways. Now we just suck.

I’m ashamed.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Tweet This Post

Was I sleeping through this or did someone make note of it while I was in a haze these past few days? I have been sick (no, not the Piggy flu) for the past week, so it is highly likely that I missed the debates on CBC, the rains of condemnation from the blogosphere and a general discontented harumph heard from coast to coast (certain parts of Alberta excepted, of course).

Canada quietly asks EPA to weaken anti-pollution measures

That’s the headline form Saturday’s G&M article in which it is reported that the Canadian embassy in D.C. has asked the EPA to water down their new measures aimed to reduce the health toll from air pollution around the Great Lakes by forcing lake freighters to stop burning dirty bunker fuel.

We, uh, don’t WANT this? Really?

Apparently not. The Harper government, backed by the shipping industry,

wants ships to be allowed to continue using the high-polluting fuel and to instead install smokestack scrubbers that would clean up their emissions. The Canadian recommendation, if accepted, could delay the clean-air measure for years, because the technology for the scrubbers does not yet exist.

“Not yet exist” being the key phrase here. I can understand proposing a new an innovative way to deal with these emissions. And heck, ya, that is exactly what is happening! In fact, the equipment is so damned innovative that one needs a freakin’ TIME MACHINE set to The Future in order to get these tools!

So what’s the big deal, eh? So a few birds fall from the sky. A bit more dirty air way out in Lake Superior somewhere. Big Whoop.

The EPA said in a background paper that ship-diesel exhaust, which can travel hundreds of kilometres from shorelines, is a likely human carcinogen, and contributes to heart and lung disease, particularly for children and the elderly. It says the new controls, including those on ocean vessels, will prevent 8,300 premature deaths annually, although it didn’t give specific figures for the Great Lakes region.

Oh. Well, I’m sure the Reformatories had science of their own to refute these findings. Right?

The embassy didn’t dispute the EPA’s health findings, but expressed concerns about the economic impact of the measures.

Ah. Gotcha.

Seriously, this is a bit disgusting, isn’t it? Add in the tar sands and the Harper government’s abandonment of the Kyoto targets and we’re turning into one big, smoke-belching, climate change denying, ecosystem destroying environmental SOB.

How embarrassing.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Tweet This Post

So here’s the thing, we all know that the tar sands are having a devastating effect on the local environment in northern Alberta. Just ask any duck.
We also know that the GHG emissions resulting from these operations are off the map. AND we know that the stated environmental policy of the Obama admin. is to steer away from “dirty” fuels to “cleaner” ones. So why did the United States approve Enbridge Inc.’s $3.3-billion Alberta Clipper pipeline project yesterday?

The U.S. State Department said allowing construction of the 450,000-barrel-a-day line serves U.S. interests by adding secure oil supplies from outside the OPEC nations at a time when political tensions in some producing regions threaten to interfere with oil shipments. “The department found that the addition of crude oil pipeline capacity between Canada and the United States will advance a number of strategic interests of the United States,” it said.

Most of the oil shipped on the line will come from Canadian oil sands producers, which have been under attack from some U.S. environmental groups and legislators for boosting greenhouse gas emissions because of expanding production in the oil sands in northern Alberta.

The fact is that these facilities exist. They employ people and communities have developed around them and none of this is going to go away overnight; no matter what environmentalists say. Am I in favour of turning the Fort Mac area into Mordor?

Pic of Mordor

Of course not! I think the Alberta government has been negligent to the point of criminality in allowing this project to take place on such a scale and without the appropriate pollution abatement and control technologies in place.

But the reality is that I don’t yet have a time machine to be able to go back and talk some sense into ex- Premier Klein while there was still time to change the course.

Plus, the chickens will come home to roost when the U.S. their deficit and debt hits a breaking point. Then the Yanks may get just desperate enough down the road to march over the border and just take what they want – Canada’s oil AND our water… just watch.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Tweet This Post

Just a quick observation as I’m sitting on a VIA train halfway between Ottawa and Montreal… why is it so damned difficult to get a concensus on the future of rail in this country? It is SUCH a superior way to travel!

• No security crap.

• A helluva lot more comfortable than air travel.

• Better for the environment re: GHG emissions than air travel – for sure – and arguably better than car travel as well.

But any time the debate is launched, the leaders in this country twist themselves into pretzels explaining how we cannot afford the cost of the infrastructure. Or how new rail lines or trains will have negative social impacts on communities.

Or they are just silent.

Can someone more knowledgeable than I am on these matters explain why this is so?

Anyone? anyone? Beuller?

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Tweet This Post

I am sitting on the deck of the cottage that we are renting for the week. The weather has kinda sucked so far with the exception of a few hours here and there. In fact, it was supposed to be t-storming, like right now. Thinking this, the girls headed off to town to catch a matinee at the Strand (I’m amazed it is still called the Strand after all these years). I was left behind to tend to Owen, who is having a nap.

Happily for me but sadly for the others, the storms have yet to appear and I just spent the past hour on the dock, with two fishing rods workin’ and enjoying every minute of it. No worries, no kids, no sounds save for the distant traffic, the odd boat and the sounds of the loon. Simply splendiferous!

I’m looking out on the lake. A clean lake that has been intelligently developed mostly without the monster homes that one can see on some of the larger lakes in Muskoka and on Georgian Bay.

I cannot help but wonder what this place would have been like if the ilk of Harper and his gang of ninnies had been in power for the past few decades instead of the Grits. Almost certainly there would have been largely uncontrolled development and few environmental controls in place. Yes, Mulroney was one of the greenest PM’s in history, but the ReformCons are not of the same stripe as Bri and the red Tories who, while I never was one of them, I could at least respect.

I suspect that if the NeoCons had been in control of the legislative agenda for the past 50 years or so, there may have been a Constitutional Amendment forced through that may have entrenched private property rights and limited the state’s role in the controlled and sustainable development of areas like these. Maybe Canada would have been at lot like certain cities in the U.s> – especially in Texas – where By-laws are non-existent or unenforceable and development is hell-mell and it’s every man for themselves. The CPC likes it that way. State bad, chaos good.

Aw hell, I’m on vacation. Why can’t I give it a rest? I dunno. I wonder if dyed-in-wool politicos like Kinsella ever take a break from thinking about things like these. I doubt it.

Owen should be waking soon. I’ll end the thread before I begin to ramble on about how the shitty weather so far this week (today excepted) was a result of climate change, which was a result of ReformCons inaction!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Tweet This Post

Just the other day, the Resident Love Goddess mentioned that she had just seen one of the most ridiculous sights imaginable – a stroller for dogs!

Admittedly, I am not a “dog person”. Not an “animal person” of any ilk unless it’s tasty when barbecued. Never seen the point in pet ownership – seems like a waste of time and money. I grew up on a hobby farm and have been exposed to enough of the creatures to know that I don’t want one. I also know that I don’t want a pig, horse, cow, chicken, duck nor one of those most incidious creatures of all – a goose (but that’s the subject of another scribble).

I did own one of my own (named “Cosmo” before Seinfeld was on the air) while living in Parry Sound but, upon moving to southern Ontario and the dearth of open spaces, I realised that the mutt shouldn’t have an owner like me.  So she went to a home where there were open spaces, squirrels to chase and lots of legs to hump.

But there are dog-people and those of us who occupy the human spectrum of reality and I accept this.  They – for whatever reason – feel the need to pick up faeces, hair and dog barf. And I guess they enjoy the smell of mutt after summer’s rain, having their crotches sniffed and – the most thrilled of all things canine – having their legs used as a humping post.

And, being an open minded individual I say to dog-people: “Live and let live and enjoy whatever pleasure the dopey, mangy critters provide!”

Yet, I can’t help but wonder what if all or even some of the $$$’s invested in the purchase and maintenance of these flea-ridden mutts were invested in something, uh, that matters to humanity… say… mosquito netting for refugees in Africa.

Incidentally, World Malaria Day is April 25.

According to the latest data, 49% of Canadian households reported having pet-related expenditures. That’s roughly 5.7 million households.

The average expenditure per household was $432.  Do the math and that comes to about $2.4 BILLION dollars spent on pet purchases, food, veterinarians and other pet-related supplies.

OK. Now let’s assume that I won’t get my way and have dogs declared a public health hazard and they continue to co-exist with us humans.  They do have to be fed, kept healthy, etc.  Hey! I don’t LIKE them – I would NEVER encourage cruelty… that is just so wrong in so many ways!

Anyhow – assume that a very small percentage of the $2.4 BILLION was spent on incredibly frivolous things like dog strollers, dog boots and dog bike baskets.  Or similar items for cats or gerbils or whatever..

Um. Let’s say 2%.  A little zippidy doo-dah on the slide rule and what do you get?

$48 MILLION!

Hell, you say. $48 million doesn’t go a long way these days, right. OK, check this out:

$48 million would buy
o    480,000 mosquito nets
o    320,000 chickens
o    218,181 hygiene kits
o    96,000 goats
o    48,000 emergency toilets

These are things that save lives in the parts of the world where folks are more worried about whether their kids will see the light of the next sunrise than whether or not Fido is too pooped to walk to the corner store and will need his stroller… and boots… and coat.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Tweet This Post