National Post Heralds Another Denier

authordefault
on

โ€œWith the evolution of megacities, we now seem to feel that we are powerful enough to change the environment at ourย whim.โ€

Dr. Fred Michel in the Nationalย Post

The problem of climate change is not one of changing the environment โ€œat our whim;โ€ the problem is that we have been changing it inadvertently. Which means the question is not whether we are powerful enough to affect the environment around us (by, say, dropping a lit cigarette into a dry forest or by increasing the ratio of CO2 in the atmosphere to a level 30 per cent above anything that has been seen on earth for 650,000 years). The question is whether we are smart enough toย stop.

Dr. Fred Michel, part of a small group of Ottawa scientists (also including Tim Patterson and Ian Clark) acting on behalf of the energy-industry front group the Natural Resources Stewardship Project, argues in this piece in the National Post that climate change is inevitable and unrelated to human activities on the planet. He says โ€œclimate is constantly changing and will continue to change no matter what we do.โ€ And he advocates, therefore, that we doย nothing.

At least, he would prefer that we attend to โ€œair, water and land pollution, the loss in biodiversity, and urban sprawl.โ€ Of course, reducing our consumption of fossil fuels would have an immediate beneficial effect on all kinds of pollution. And containing urban sprawl is one of the most effective ways to reduce extravagant energy use, as well as being helpful in preserving biodiversity in the regions overwhelmed by indiscriminate suburbanย development.

It leaves you wondering: when even ExxonMobil acknowledges the truth of anthropegenic climate change, what precisely is Dr. Michel’s objection to sensible (and cost-effective) environmentalย consciousness?

authordefault
Admin's short bio, lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Voluptate maxime officiis sed aliquam! Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit.

Related Posts

on

The AER significantly underreports the number and scale of spills, says researcher Kevin Timoney.

The AER significantly underreports the number and scale of spills, says researcher Kevin Timoney.
Analysis
on

Poilievre has clearly not earned enough respect from the Trump administration to credibly defend Canadaโ€™s interests.

Poilievre has clearly not earned enough respect from the Trump administration to credibly defend Canadaโ€™s interests.
Analysis
on

New research reveals how Dentsu, Havas, Interpublic Group, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, and WPP cast themselves as climate champions.

New research reveals how Dentsu, Havas, Interpublic Group, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, and WPP cast themselves as climate champions.
on

The groups have filed an OECD complaint against the worldโ€™s largest advertising and PR firm, saying its work enables major polluters to continue harming environmental and human health.

The groups have filed an OECD complaint against the worldโ€™s largest advertising and PR firm, saying its work enables major polluters to continue harming environmental and human health.