Global warming not just about human activity

Posted on April 29, 2014 by 40 Mile Commentator

To the Editor

The Commentator;

Recently you treated us to yet another lecture on climate change, this one based on a voluminous and widely accepted United Nations report. Although I tend to regard emanations from the UN with some reservations, recent weather indications lend force to the argument that climate change is serious and the future alarming, unless we do much more to combat it. But I wonder about how much more we can do.

The laying of blame for this situation reveals some shallow thinking. Global warming is usually attributed 100 percent to human activities, corporate and private, although temperature fluctuations have occurred naturally over time. Human influence, has, of course, greatly increased in recent centuries, and we should all be watchful of our own contributions to the problems. Especially Canadians, so we’re told.

I’m tired of the accusations that Canadians, per capita, are some of the greatest, if not the greatest, emitters of greenhouse gases on the planet and are stubbornly refusing to do something about it, even though the goals set for remediation may be unrealistic and unattainable.

Of course Canadians burn more fossil fuels than many others. We use more heating fuels because of the climate and more transportation fuel because of the distances. If only Canada were a small country, more southerly located, we could do so much better.

Alberta receives the heaviest condemnation, mainly because of the tar sands project. As soon as North Americans, including environmental protesters and the writers of UN reports, give up using gasoline and the numerous other petroleum-derived products Alberta can cut oil production significantly. How soon will that be?

Charmaine Wood