On useless alternatives

Greg has already pointed out the predictability of part of Bill Boyd's response to this week's much-discussed report on climate change. But it's worth noting that Boyd also managed to be both clueless and disingenuous at the same time in presenting what apparently passes for an alternative:

Mr. Boyd said the way to solve climate-change concerns is through technology – and perhaps a technology fund – not transfers of wealth from energy-producing provinces.

Needless to say, the most obviously laughable part of Boyd's response is the idea that "technology" and a "technology fund" are actually separate plans to address climate change. Granted, it might well be that Boyd's preferred choice would be to wait for some technology to magically appear out of thin air while complaining that there's nothing else we can do. But it shouldn't come as news that any actual technological advancements will require funding (among other forms of public support) in order to develop.

Which leads to the disingenuous side of Boyd's pronouncement. When the Sask Party took office, it inherited a $320 million Green Future Fund which it promptly diverted to other uses. In the Wall government's first two budgets, the Sask Party by its own accounts instead allocated under $30 million in total new funding which can even arguably be linked to dealing with climate change. And the vast majority of that was either tied into carbon sequestration which at best would deal with a small percentage of Saskatchewan's actual CO2 emissions, or set aside with no apparent idea as to how it would be spent.

In sum, then, the Sask Party's actions in options flatly refute any claim that it has any interest in working toward any significant technological development - and Boyd's response pretending otherwise simply looks to confirm the fact that the Sask Party shares the Harper government's desire to stand in the way of any progress in dealing with climate change. But while it would be a disaster for all concerned if we could do nothing more than hope for some mysterious technology to materialize on its own to make up for the Wall government's negligence, Saskatchewan citizens will get the chance to elect a more responsible government before too long.