4TheRcrd Mag.

This is part 2 of the Previous article Titled: “Climate Crisis: What’s Vancouver Up To Now in Its “Official” Climate Change Propaganda“. I’m doing this series as it’s important to stress that, for Canadians, as well anyone living anywhere, the Environment is first concern in a list of global issues (according to a poll done by CBC). We are also doing articles such as these to bring more ‘serious’ writing to BR, for our lovely lovely readers On the same note then, this is an ongoing series of brief notes on not just environment in general, or global climate change in particular, but more importantly where BC and Vancouver place themselves relative to this issue. I continue to reference the BCCCP (the BC Climate Change Plan), and as we would have it on BR, it is also a necessary critique thereof.

I read on the BCCCP that “the Government of British Columbia aims to retain or improve upon the province’s current emissions ranking” but the problem in that statement is that this statement doesn’t quantify what “higher” means. Do we want to do a little bit better? Is that it? Or does BC want to meet requirements implied in the Kyoto Accord or in the more current and revised EU emissions goals?

What I dig, so far, is that many of our energy is derived from hydro-electric projects, and wind projects, while some others create energy from tapping into the gases emitted in our landfills. (Any of these are worth ‘googling,’ if you’re interested). I also dig that we’re investing 365 million into building the rapid skytrain route, and are putting some sparing money into hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.

The article quickly takes on an economic-environmentalist argument: simply suggesting that it’s just cheaper (in the short- and long-runs) to look after the environment than letting it go to naught. They cite 200 million in insurance claims from a single disaster in Kelowna, and cite 500 million in wildfire costs alone, compared to the mere 365 for building a new rapid skytrain route — I can appreciate such calculations, as capital-centric as they may be.

However, the article doesn’t state — when it speaks of its water reserves, lakes, rivers, wetlands, and aquifers — that so many of these (primarily lakes and other reserves) have been sold off to American investment, and that there are virtually NO lakes in this province that bear Canadian title.

NOTES:
(a) “Sixteen independent power project agreements have been signed to produce energy from hydro, landfill gas and wind energy.”(BCCCP, iii).
(b) “B.C. is a leader in hydrogen and fuel cell technology; B.C. has the world’s largest cluster of hydrogen and fuel cell companies with 25 firms employing over 1,200 people.”(BCCCP, iii).
(c) “In an effort to promote alternative forms of transportation, the government has committed $365 million for the construction of a rapid transit line from Richmond to Vancouver.”(BCCCP, iii).

PHOTO CREDIT: RJ Bailey’s photostream