How B.C.'s Climate Plan is Being Co-opted by Big Oil
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- Published on Thursday, 14 July 2016 16:15
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How B.C.'s Climate Plan is Being Co-opted by Big Oil: Martyn Brown
In accepting its mission as defined by the government, the Climate Leadership Team (CLT) also implicitly accepted the government’s plan for increased emissions from LNG and from other carbon-intensive development.
As laudable as the CLT’s climate action plan is in most respects, it is wrongly predicated on accommodating the oil industry’s vision for increased fossil fuel extraction.
Which is to say, it is innately co-opted by its mandate, which is wedded to the acceptance of an overriding economic plan for carbon-fueled growth. Read more.
Strange Bedfellows: Alberta Brings Former Adversaries Together for New Oilsands Advisory Group
After decades of insufficient or insincere attempts to address emissions from Canada’s fastest growing source of climate pollution, a new government-sponsored oilsands advisory group may help resolve political gridlock surrounding the nation’s most contentious natural resource by bringing together industry, environmental and indigenous stakeholders.
According to Tzeporah Berman, the group's co-chair and a well-known environmentalist, the composition of the advisory group represents a notable shift in the political landscape.
“Let's be clear: under previous governments environmental leaders had very little access and were outright ridiculed by many ministers and departments,” Berman told DeSmog Canada. “First Nations leaders were simply shut out. Climate change was denied.” Read more.
‘Secret Lobbying is Legal’ if You Know Which Loopholes to Exploit, Says Democracy Watchdog
Enough isn’t being done to ensure companies are following Canada’s weak lobbying and disclosure rules, according to democracy expert Duff Conacher.
Conacher, founder and long-time coordinator of Democracy Watch, told DeSmog Canada there are numerous ways to evade lobby rules.
“Overall, secret lobbying is legal,” he says. “You just have to exploit the loopholes.”
Conacher says the Lobbying Act is rife with loopholes, making it very difficult for citizens to keep track of when and with whom corporations and organizations are meeting. Read more.
The Future of Hydro in a Warming World
People have harnessed energy from moving water for thousands of years.
Greeks used various types of water wheels to grind grain in mills more than 2,000 years ago.
In the late 1800s, people figured out how to harness the power to produce electricity.
Throughout the 20th century and into the 21st, hydropower has expanded, producing about 17 per cent of the world’s electricity by 2014 and about 85 per cent of renewable energy — and it shows no signs of slowing.
But how “green” is hydropower and how viable is it in a warming world with increasing water fluctuations and shortages? To some extent, it depends on the type of facility. r15 |r0
