The federal government’s plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions is a total lie. In fact, it is a plan to allow us to increase emissions while pretending to ourselves that we are not. How that works: the proposed regulations call for intensity-based cuts. This means that emissions will be measured against units of production. When production increases, as it has been (wildly), emissions go up even as intensity per production unit is decreased.
Funnily enough, the earth’s atmosphere does not expand its capacity to deal with greenhouse gases by units of production. Apparently, and this is such a shocker, the earth does not care much about units of production.
Duh. And duh.
How stupid does Harper think we are?
Canadians do not want to increase emissions. I stopped driving my car some months ago. I might be the only person in the country to have responded to that totally lame one-ton challenge campaign but I did actually park my car and start taking public transit. I am also pleased to report that I am a long way into Peter C. Newman’s epic history of the Hudson’s Bay Company; in this way, I do my duty to the current Canada while educating myself about the old Canada. It’s just great.
Meanwhile, Canadian industry grumbles that the proposed plan to increase emissions is still too harsh. Well, you know what, industry? What is harsh is the so-called boom in Alberta driving rent prices so high that nobody but middle-aged professionals can afford to rent a home. Rent. Not buy. My kids will be damned lucky if they can afford to buy a crappy condo by the time they are 35. I think we’re all going to have to move to Quebec (where, because nobody wants to live there anymore, prices are reasonable). Yew. So much for the cursed boom.
So let us imagine what might happen if we actually cut emissions. Hmmmmnnnnnn (scratch head). The economy might slow down and housing prices might decrease. Maybe I would not have to work so hard. Maybe people would start having dinner parties again. Maybe we would have the dinner parties in the back yard. In the fresh air. The actually fresh, and not fresher-relative-to-production-units, air.
Listen, I was as ticked at the Liberals as anybody in this country. I remain disgusted by their culture of smug entitlement. I think a lot of them would benefit from a swift frypan to the temple. But this is not time for emotion. If you think we do not need an effective plan to actually reduce greenhouse emissions, you are an idiot. I do not care where it comes from: NDP, Liberal, or Green Party — but I can tell you that the party that offers the most real cuts to greenhouse gases in the next election is going to get my vote.
By the way, did you see David Suzuki get in Baird’s face over this issue? Pretty funny. I got a bit tired of Suzuki and stopped listening to him a while ago but he’s back on my radar now, if only for the entertainment value.
