tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11282727.post2584249470423934533..comments2024-03-09T04:13:53.858-06:00Comments on Accidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning LinksUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11282727.post-67188194569365152332014-12-22T08:23:33.603-06:002014-12-22T08:23:33.603-06:00I don't think there's much doubt as to the...I don't think there's much doubt as to the seriousness of the problem, but I do think it's worth noting there are different means of trying to address it. <br /><br />In effect, Walkom lets our actual political leaders off the hook by saying that our they're inevitably bound to pursue short-term policies in the name of winning votes. And if one accepts that nobody in either the general public or the political class will ever do more than what pollsters say will win votes tomorrow, then we may as well pack up the entire political system and go home.<br /><br />But my response is that it's possible for a perceived long-term goal (such as deficit and debt reduction) to be treated as a necessary end within the political class itself. And once that goal is seen to transcend party lines, there's ample public support for the policies which would follow from it.<br /><br />Of course, the Cons are currently doing their utmost to stand in the way of any consensus on dealing with climate change (particularly where it might run contrary to profits in the oil patch). But there's room for change there, particularly if the otherwise-dubious "ecofiscal" push goes somewhere. Greg Fingashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01506686081291502115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11282727.post-73515245410630577342014-12-20T15:27:00.111-06:002014-12-20T15:27:00.111-06:00It's depressing as hell but I have to agree wi...It's depressing as hell but I have to agree with Walkom. The point is time is not on our side on climate change. Our failure to take effective action on anthropogenic global warming has already brought us to one, perhaps several, tipping points - the natural feedback mechanisms that will drive runaway global warming. As Canadians we should be particularly ashamed because this is happening in our northern territories. The tundra fires, melting permafrost, natural CO2 and methane escape, sea level rise, loss of polar ice packs, black soot, ocean acidification - we are the Petri dish for all of those forces and they're happening now, in real time, as we look the other way.<br /><br />I wish I could recall the names but a prominent climate scientist was asked by a journalist what was the most important thing the reporter could teach his young son to prepare for climate change. The scientist replied, "teach him how to use a rifle."The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.com