Why Climate Change issues won't be solved by Politicians or Capitalism
Liberals and Conservatives demonstrate hypocrisy on redressing Global Warming
Compiled by Super Canuck
It was widely panned for allowing emissions to continue to rise until 2020.
In a 2002 fundraising letter, Mr. Harper questioned the science of climate change, calling it “tentative and contradictory” and ridiculed the
Kyoto Accord as a money-sucking “socialist scheme.” In a speech delivered later that year, Mr. Harper told fellow Conservatives that “as economic policy the Kyoto Accord is a disaster. As environmental policy it is a fraud.”
With such “enlightening” insights that Harper has provided for us, let’s look at the Liberal-Conservative
“Greenwash” that has engulfed the nation in the past few months in a dick measuring contest between these two unfit participants.
Liberal Inaction
The Liberals have been on the defensive since the Conservative attack ads have shed light on the Liberals inability to make the changes necessary to curb global warming and reduce pollution. Their website cites that in 2000 the Liberal government announced a $500 million five year action plan to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) by 65 megatonnes each year. The 65 megatonnes seems like quite a bit, unless one actually reads what Canada’s reporting facilities cite as their GHG emissions, which is at 280 megatonnes according to Environment Canada. What becomes even more interesting is that these are only the reporting facilities, which comprise one-third (37%) of Canada’s total GHG causing industries for 2005. While these reports may not be entirely accurate, Environment Canada’s best estimation as to the source of GHG emissions come from the following breakdown of industries: 44% Utilities sector, 32% Manufacturing, 18% Mining, Oil, and Gas extraction and 5% as other. When one compares this with the corporate subsidies over the past few years of the oil and gas sector at $40 billion that both Conservative and Liberal governments are responsible for, $500 million over five years seems like a pittance.
Traitors among Us is a book for further reading on this subject.
In addition to this, the
Pembina Institute, an Alberta-based environmental group, has estimated that federal tax breaks for Canada’s oil and gas industry are worth $1.4-billion a year. The institute has said the oil sands receive a significant share of those tax breaks but exact figures are impossible to find. Moreover, the oil sands continue to be a significant source of GHG emissions. The disparity between GHG emitting industries such as oil and gas who receive tax breaks and the money set aside to fight GHG emissions is massive. Despite this, GHG emissions are not the entire problem, often overlooked is the pollution caused by these industries that go farther then just carbon emissions.
The Canadian National Newspaper: Why Climate Change issues won't be solved by Politicians or Capitalism
'fallin short'
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