More prominent than the subject of “oil shipment” in the news should be the matter of reducing the use of petroleum as a fuel.
We could productively be discussing alternative forms of power. Geothermal power is available in B.C. and its development could replace at least half of our electricity supply. Thorium is more plentiful and safer than uranium; nuclear plants on the Prairies and the Canadian Shield where there are no earthquakes could become a safe and major source of electricity. It has drawbacks, but it does not swamp the atmosphere with CO2. The efficiency of solar power, something over 20 per cent, will hopefully improve after coming research.
How terrible will the floods, fires, hurricanes and tornadoes have to be before we face our “wilful blindness” to climate change? The warming of the Arctic changes the jet stream; last year it dropped lower and the resulting severe drought in Texas killed the peanut crop even that far away. When it pauses, the resulting downpour leads to devastating floods. Within recent months, North America has experienced not only record-breaking hurricane and tornado damage, but also tragically devastating fires. There are now recognizable shifts in the ecosystem that affect plants, crops and animal survival.
Our inaction could be far more serious than anything human history has known. Nature can take us down far more effectively than our wars. Let’s face up to the fact that we must pioneer a new future for the planet.
William Lawrence
Victoria
