Editor:
The Sept. 9 federal leaders’ debate was the usual mishmash of accusation and counteraccusation with leaders interrupting and shouting over each other. But the exchanges on climate change were revealing in how well they showed that our wannabe leaders just don’t get it. O’Toole lambastes Trudeau for setting targets and not meeting them. Trudeau lambastes O’Toole for targets that are so last year. Both lambaste NDP and Greens for climate plans that are “too expensive.”
Wake up, boys and girls. Climate policy should not be set by political expediency, by what the energy industry wants, by short-term costs, or even by what surveys say Canadians would accept. It should be set by the hard realities of what climate science and climate models tell us is necessary to sustain a livable climate. What climate science tells us (see the most recent IPCC report) is that we need to do much more than any party has put forward. So, let’s stop the nonsense.
Whoever wins the election should immediately form a special department with a mandate and the authority to get Canada’s GHG down to zero by 2050. Give it the money it needs to push through the transition to clean energy and create a Canada-wide energy network so that everyone benefits. Work with the provinces if they are on board or work around them if they are obstructionist. Work with the oil industry to develop Canada’s large geothermal power potential in Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. or do it without them. Tell Canadians the truth about what it will mean for our economy and our society if we and the rest of the world do not get serious about climate change. Anything else is just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic for the best view of the inevitable sinking.
Michael Healey, Gibsons
