Editor:
$29 trillion! The world’s largest corporations made record revenues in 2011 (Shell Oil was number one. Seven of the global top 10 are oil companies).
The one per cent prosper (owning 50 per cent of the world’s wealth) … 50 per cent struggle (sharing one per cent of the world’s wealth).
An egregious unstable European and global financial crisis keeps the “elite” scrambling … “servants” of the elite writhe wretchedly to control indignant massive social unrest … from socially unjust inequality.
Harper pronounces Canada … the envy of the world!
Will Canadians respond by not “awakening” from their “prosperous” dreams of the unlimited mega-fossil fuel industry?
Scientists tell us … expect incremental weather extremes with increasing global warming … worse than what we see today at 0.08C above pre-industrial periods.
They tell us … expect steady consequential global environmental damage as we move toward doubling 0.08C … to an unaffordable/unacceptable 2C (likely by 2030 … 18 years from now).
Harper’s response? Block legally binding agreements … limiting global greenhouse gas emissions … muzzle Federal scientists … cut Canada’s science and science education budgets … cut environmental protection … cut our social safety nets … protect the mega- fossil fuel industry (making 3C to 3.5C likely in 38 years … 2050! … quadrupling today’s 0.08C)?
Harper targets “anti-tarsand” bitumen campaigns in Canada, the U.S. and Europe to counter “misinformation” about Canada’s growing greenhouse gas emissions … using tax dollars.
Will heat-stressed salmon survive if current 0.08C reaches 2C in 18 years? We see extreme weather in Canada now. It happens globally. Sea levels are rising. Ocean acidity rising. Mountain glaciers are melting. Arctic (polar) ice decreasing. Perma-frost degrading. Pine beetles killing forests. Larger more frequent wildfires.
We see food prices rising with increasing droughts … oil prices increasing as beyond peak-oil extraction and refining costs soar.
Harper’s “solutions” are unlimited fossil fuel development … raising global temperatures? How will we fare … if we allow fossil-fueled global temperatures to reach 4C to 5C by 2100 (88 years)?
How soon will it be … when we cross irreversible climate tipping points? Will Canadians help/let it happen … endangering all future generations … even our own children?
Herb Nakada
Williams Lake