I wish I had said this earlier. I've been on Substack a long time and as an American I'm much impressed with the civility with which you Canadians conduct your discourse. There is very little profanity, childish nicknames, or emotional outbursts of anger. Call that what you will, but I find it very refreshing. The level of discourse down here can be very debased and frustrating.
You won't solve the climate crisis through all of a sudden come-to-jesus-now-moment, suddenly reducing oil and gas consumption alone, as many people appear to believe. Eat from lower in the food chain, stop eating the dead bodies of abused animals for example. I am confounded as to why people are only now coming to understand social ecological values but put it down to the fact that most people practice willful blindness, they don't really care about things until it effects THEM directly. The word has been out since the INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. Having a nice well paid job abusing the environment and now you're retired and well off you REPENT? I don't buy it. Species extinctions, habitat destruction and fragmentation, polluted water, air, and earth.... that's down to you who didn't care, until they came for you, as the Germans said when explaining why they didn't defend their Jewish neighbours during the Holocaust.
I really think It is important to read Charlie's clear articles and then go out a talk to people.
If the replies include typical responses e.g. "but the batteries are bad for the earth", "the range is limited" we just need to tell that person about the multitude of folks I spoke with who love their EV.
This problem of Alberta attitude is typical herd mentality and male incompetence combined with insecurity. I can help create our alternate herd mentality. There are more of us.
I live in Alberta and big oil is on par with the tobacco industries re the lies re the damage they are causing to the health of individuals and environment. We the taxpayer pay for the fallout from these industries who escape accountability and ignore their responsibilities and their continuing to rake in profits while taxpayers are left paying with increased health risks, rnvirinmrntal damage, tax breaks to these industries, for the damage/old wells and methane emissions 7x what was reported. Alberta energy regulator is a pathetic joke. They are in the pocket of UCP.
GOD will always forgive you. Mother Nature will not. The Human Race is about a fraction of a millisecond in Nature's timeline. If we ignore the warnings, we will be wiped out and replaced.
"The meek shall inherit the earth" is a well-known phrase from the Bible (Matthew 5:5) .
I've heard it said in many places: "Canada is just three corporations in a trench coat"
I consider Canada to be a set of institutions, not a place or a group of people.
The Dominion of Canada was created by the British to be a subsidiary in service of the empire, and resource extraction from this continent was always at its core. The unilateral imposition of the Alberta and Saskatchewan governments in 1905 by the Dominion of Canada government, essentially to manage foreign workers in resource extraction industries, has had obvious outcomes.
Why I don't believe Alberta is bullied by extractive industries such as Big Oil
It is important to recognize that these corporations don't control government, but that the governments themself were created for these primarily industrial purposes.
Thank you Charlie! I just ordered your book from my public library and look forward to reading it. Who of us is not implicated by big oil? But we must speak out and change behaviour we can manage like drive less, speak out on behalf of the planet, encourage others to read your posts
Thanks for writing this, Charlie, and for all your efforts to hold the fossil fuel industry to account. It is hard to wrap one's mind around Big Oil's colossal criminality. The fact that Big Oil knew of the catastrophic consequences of continuing to use their products - and then went all out on denial and misinformation is beyond criminal, really. I can only think that the CEOs of today's companies can continue to do what they do because they drank the denialist kool-aid, so to speak, that was fed to them. Big Oil's reach continues to be deep and pervasive. They use advertising and sponsorships, bots and trolls, and - perhaps their most insidious tactic - they fund kids' education programs, including programs on environment and climate education. See: https://www.forourkids.ca/pollutingeducation
Thank you Anne. I'm sending all the petitions and letters that I can to help support a healthy education for my granddaughter. We, in our complacency, as well as the oil industry, have messed up this world for our children and grandchildren so we should be doing everything we can to reverse, or at least stop, the damage.
From what I understand the best way to get people to believe in climate change is to point to what insurance companies used to insure and what they no longer insure.
From what I understand they are starting to no longer insure flood damage in the coastal US and I wouldn't be surprised if they stopped insuring wildfire damage in northern Canada and other areas prone to it.
Statistically it's too hard for them to ignore climate change.
Check your policy, note the exemption for "acts of God", the insurance industry has known how to avoid paying out for decades at least. I remember a lightning strike fire that burned down an area in BC and despite paying insurance for decades people couldn't get paid. The same was repeated in a flood that destroyed hundreds of homes, and another fire caused by sparks off the train rails...which in my mind made the train and rail companies responsible, but no, people were either ignored, or served with papers after papers...you'd need a higher paid team of fancy lawyers than were hired by big industry to win your claim for compensation for your humble abode. And who, having been wiped out by fire or flood, has money for a team of fancy lawyers charging thousands of dollars per hour?
As a teenager in the mid-1970s, we were very environmentally aware. That might have been because we lived about an half-hour from Sarnia with its oil refineries and orange night glow. Plus, a school field trip took us to the brand new coal generating station at Corunna, on the St. Clair River. One of the most heavily polluted areas in Ontario was about to get cleaned up because it was on the verge of decimation. I mean, I was a member of my high school’s Recycling Club. What a geek!! So, to understand climate change and to see us boldly ignore all the warning signs is so disappointing to someone who saw remediation in action in Sarnia and on the river. If we work With the world instead of Against the world, we would be so much richer. Fossil Fuels are not the future.
Another great article Charlie. We bought our first gas/electric truck last year . When you are in a city it is great but highway driving is pricey . The smoke from the forest fires that hit us in Ontario are not harmless to our health . We know the U.S.A. (Maple Maga) is fueling the fires of producing more oil in Canada or they will separate from us , We know that the east coast of the U.S.A. thinks they can say nice things to us to encourage us to go there on vacations because their business is hurting from our boycotts. The U.S.A.'s current administration is hurting our fellow Canadians jobs and threatening to annex our country . Why would we spend any time in the U.S.A. or money ? We will support our Canadian economy , fellow Canadians to defend our country from being manipulated and taken over by the U.S.A. Clean energy projects in Canada would put us ahead of the U.S.A.s dependence on Oil etc. We would have independence for our own energy. China is doing well in that area but the U.S.A. would not want to see us do that would they?
Roslyn, we are planning to go to the east coast again this summer or fall . Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and St. John's Newfoundland are my favorite places and people. Cape Breton too!
Have you ever visited the Acadian Peninsula in northeast NB? Fascinating culturally with Acadian culture, then down along the east coast of NB there's some beauty spots and small Acadian communities. I was in Caraquet for the Fete Acadian before, lots of free musical events, here's the link for this year's program in August: https://festivalacadien.ca/ I enjoyed several spots along the road running south from there along the Fundy coast, my favourite was an unremarkable cliff stopping area on the coast road running along the east coast of northern NB with a great view of the cormorant colony on the jagged rocks offshore. There is also a cormorant colony where I live in northern NB, but not much else for tourists. The best way into NB without passing into the orange danger zone is to travel through southern Quebec south shore of the Saint Lawrence on Quebec hwy 185/becomes TransCanada 2 direction Edmunston and St Leonard. At St Leonard you take hwy 17 to Atholville, just east of Campbellton where you get on hwy 11 east (through the woods and more direct) or hwy 134 (along the coast through small coastal communities) as far as Bathurst. If you plan to visit l'Acadie continue along the northern routes to the Acadian Peninsula in the direction of Caraquet, or head from Bathurst south along hwy 8 ti Miramichi where you rejoin hwy 11 south along the east coast of NB, the Fundy Coast. Past Moncton you can get on hwy 15 around Shediac and head east to Cap Tormentine where you can drive over the Confederation Bridge to PEI, which lands you at Borden-Carleton. Tolls: https://www.confederationbridge.com/tolls-fees/ they didn't accept debit last I passed through, I had to pay $50 cash. Here's a reasonable road map of NB: https://www.canadamaps.com/new-brunswick-road-map/ there are long stretches in NB without gas stations or cafes. The gas stations often keep limited daytime hours, and food outlets even more limited. If you have health issues re food, I suggest you pack a cooler as the most exotic food here is Tim Hortons. Always use any toilet you can find, the next one may be far away. Most restaurants have signs saying toilets for customers only. So you have to buy a pack of gum or something at least. Roadside coffee is gruesome along that route. If you get to Cape Breton, take the Cabot Trail round it. Just make sure your brakes are working good beforehand. Breathtaking and slightly terrifying coastal route in some spots. Regarding Le Festival Acadian most of the free events are all day on the 15th Aug. Bring chair.
While I agree with your observations on U.S.A. vs Canada I do have a different viewpoint on your first two comments.
The whole point, of each individual citizen of this world contributing to the reduction of emissions, is to actually 'reduce our emissions', which means driving eco friendly vehicles, as you're doing, but also actually driving less. That's where the cost comes in. If it's too expensive, then we will reduce our use.
Your comment about 'the forest fires that hit us in Ontario are not harmless to our health" is actually inaccurate. I, for one, have issues with my lungs and have noticed that the forest fire smoke has affected my health and I live in the southern most area of Ontario--in Essex County. Another thing that's been happening is that my smoke alarm has been going off in my house when the fire smoke is reported to be in my area, even when the smell is not detectable. You may find this article interesting on the 'Toxins in Wildfire Smoke'. https://grist.org/climate/canada-wildfire-smoke-toxic-arsenic/
Have a great day and stay cool--the temps are in the 90's in my neck of the woods and the humidex puts it over 100. Climate crisis anyone?
Hi Charlene, Thank you for your reply.. I know I should have said "not without harm" instead of saying not harmless. I did not say harmless that is for sure...I feel it too and I stay inside with our air cleaners on. Our business is outdoors construction which is very busy at this time of year. They often have to wear masks because of the smoke from the forest fires.
We have a wood stove that we use only for emergencies in case the hydro goes out which has happened quite often as we do not live in a city. An ice storm took out our hydro for 5 days. We do have generators but even then you have to have a back up as we have learned over the years.
As I read it, your meaning is correct as you phrased it. "The smoke from the forest fires... ARE NOT HARMLESS..." I.E ARE HARMFUL. And Yes..."not without harm" also works. Cheers.
Nothing will be done in time to avert catastrophic global warming and its attendant calamities of mass species extinction, severe droughts, global crop failures, famine, tropical disease migration, extreme weather events, coastal flooding, massive wildfires, societal disruption, and armed conflicts over resources.
Nothing. Just watch.
We'll have COP30, COP31, and COP32 climate summits ad nauseum, and greenhouse gas levels will continue to increase along with temperatures.
And while there is a rapidly diminishing window of time in which humans could stop — or even slow significantly — the accelerating increase in atmospheric greenhouse gas levels, it should be
obvious to anyone by now that the window will slam shut before anything is done other than useless talking and vows to take action sometime in the future.
I agree with you Peter even though it's so much doom and gloom. I will still, as an individual citizen of the world, continue to do whatever I can to add to the reduction in emissions. That being said, I'm not a fool to know that the majority of the change is going to have to come from the 1% of people who hold the wealth, influence and power. We, the little people, will just have to 'influence' them with our $$.
Amen sister! Therefore, OUR money can have influence on those that want to profit from us. We know that it works when we withhold our $$ on purchasing U.S. products travelling to the U.S., so why can't it work, in each of our own small ways, on the mega-corporations that our profiting off of us and subsequently supporting the oil industry. Our votes and our influence on our lawmakers make a difference too.
Thank you for this insightful article.
I wish I had said this earlier. I've been on Substack a long time and as an American I'm much impressed with the civility with which you Canadians conduct your discourse. There is very little profanity, childish nicknames, or emotional outbursts of anger. Call that what you will, but I find it very refreshing. The level of discourse down here can be very debased and frustrating.
You won't solve the climate crisis through all of a sudden come-to-jesus-now-moment, suddenly reducing oil and gas consumption alone, as many people appear to believe. Eat from lower in the food chain, stop eating the dead bodies of abused animals for example. I am confounded as to why people are only now coming to understand social ecological values but put it down to the fact that most people practice willful blindness, they don't really care about things until it effects THEM directly. The word has been out since the INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. Having a nice well paid job abusing the environment and now you're retired and well off you REPENT? I don't buy it. Species extinctions, habitat destruction and fragmentation, polluted water, air, and earth.... that's down to you who didn't care, until they came for you, as the Germans said when explaining why they didn't defend their Jewish neighbours during the Holocaust.
I really think It is important to read Charlie's clear articles and then go out a talk to people.
If the replies include typical responses e.g. "but the batteries are bad for the earth", "the range is limited" we just need to tell that person about the multitude of folks I spoke with who love their EV.
This problem of Alberta attitude is typical herd mentality and male incompetence combined with insecurity. I can help create our alternate herd mentality. There are more of us.
I live in Alberta and big oil is on par with the tobacco industries re the lies re the damage they are causing to the health of individuals and environment. We the taxpayer pay for the fallout from these industries who escape accountability and ignore their responsibilities and their continuing to rake in profits while taxpayers are left paying with increased health risks, rnvirinmrntal damage, tax breaks to these industries, for the damage/old wells and methane emissions 7x what was reported. Alberta energy regulator is a pathetic joke. They are in the pocket of UCP.
GOD will always forgive you. Mother Nature will not. The Human Race is about a fraction of a millisecond in Nature's timeline. If we ignore the warnings, we will be wiped out and replaced.
"The meek shall inherit the earth" is a well-known phrase from the Bible (Matthew 5:5) .
I've heard it said in many places: "Canada is just three corporations in a trench coat"
I consider Canada to be a set of institutions, not a place or a group of people.
The Dominion of Canada was created by the British to be a subsidiary in service of the empire, and resource extraction from this continent was always at its core. The unilateral imposition of the Alberta and Saskatchewan governments in 1905 by the Dominion of Canada government, essentially to manage foreign workers in resource extraction industries, has had obvious outcomes.
Why I don't believe Alberta is bullied by extractive industries such as Big Oil
https://r.flora.ca/p/alberta
It is important to recognize that these corporations don't control government, but that the governments themself were created for these primarily industrial purposes.
Thank you Charlie! I just ordered your book from my public library and look forward to reading it. Who of us is not implicated by big oil? But we must speak out and change behaviour we can manage like drive less, speak out on behalf of the planet, encourage others to read your posts
What are you going to do with all your billions
when the world is burning, burning
and the kids are going hungry
and the trees are going thirsty?
What will it buy you? A passage to Mars?
A bunker stocked with weapons?
You can only hide so long, you know,
Before you emerge and still the world
will still be burning, burning.
Thanks for writing this, Charlie, and for all your efforts to hold the fossil fuel industry to account. It is hard to wrap one's mind around Big Oil's colossal criminality. The fact that Big Oil knew of the catastrophic consequences of continuing to use their products - and then went all out on denial and misinformation is beyond criminal, really. I can only think that the CEOs of today's companies can continue to do what they do because they drank the denialist kool-aid, so to speak, that was fed to them. Big Oil's reach continues to be deep and pervasive. They use advertising and sponsorships, bots and trolls, and - perhaps their most insidious tactic - they fund kids' education programs, including programs on environment and climate education. See: https://www.forourkids.ca/pollutingeducation
Thank you Anne. I'm sending all the petitions and letters that I can to help support a healthy education for my granddaughter. We, in our complacency, as well as the oil industry, have messed up this world for our children and grandchildren so we should be doing everything we can to reverse, or at least stop, the damage.
From what I understand the best way to get people to believe in climate change is to point to what insurance companies used to insure and what they no longer insure.
From what I understand they are starting to no longer insure flood damage in the coastal US and I wouldn't be surprised if they stopped insuring wildfire damage in northern Canada and other areas prone to it.
Statistically it's too hard for them to ignore climate change.
Check your policy, note the exemption for "acts of God", the insurance industry has known how to avoid paying out for decades at least. I remember a lightning strike fire that burned down an area in BC and despite paying insurance for decades people couldn't get paid. The same was repeated in a flood that destroyed hundreds of homes, and another fire caused by sparks off the train rails...which in my mind made the train and rail companies responsible, but no, people were either ignored, or served with papers after papers...you'd need a higher paid team of fancy lawyers than were hired by big industry to win your claim for compensation for your humble abode. And who, having been wiped out by fire or flood, has money for a team of fancy lawyers charging thousands of dollars per hour?
As a teenager in the mid-1970s, we were very environmentally aware. That might have been because we lived about an half-hour from Sarnia with its oil refineries and orange night glow. Plus, a school field trip took us to the brand new coal generating station at Corunna, on the St. Clair River. One of the most heavily polluted areas in Ontario was about to get cleaned up because it was on the verge of decimation. I mean, I was a member of my high school’s Recycling Club. What a geek!! So, to understand climate change and to see us boldly ignore all the warning signs is so disappointing to someone who saw remediation in action in Sarnia and on the river. If we work With the world instead of Against the world, we would be so much richer. Fossil Fuels are not the future.
Thank you fellow geek 💚✊🌻
Another great article Charlie. We bought our first gas/electric truck last year . When you are in a city it is great but highway driving is pricey . The smoke from the forest fires that hit us in Ontario are not harmless to our health . We know the U.S.A. (Maple Maga) is fueling the fires of producing more oil in Canada or they will separate from us , We know that the east coast of the U.S.A. thinks they can say nice things to us to encourage us to go there on vacations because their business is hurting from our boycotts. The U.S.A.'s current administration is hurting our fellow Canadians jobs and threatening to annex our country . Why would we spend any time in the U.S.A. or money ? We will support our Canadian economy , fellow Canadians to defend our country from being manipulated and taken over by the U.S.A. Clean energy projects in Canada would put us ahead of the U.S.A.s dependence on Oil etc. We would have independence for our own energy. China is doing well in that area but the U.S.A. would not want to see us do that would they?
Visit east coast of Canada....friendly, and not just for your money.
Roslyn, we are planning to go to the east coast again this summer or fall . Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and St. John's Newfoundland are my favorite places and people. Cape Breton too!
Have you ever visited the Acadian Peninsula in northeast NB? Fascinating culturally with Acadian culture, then down along the east coast of NB there's some beauty spots and small Acadian communities. I was in Caraquet for the Fete Acadian before, lots of free musical events, here's the link for this year's program in August: https://festivalacadien.ca/ I enjoyed several spots along the road running south from there along the Fundy coast, my favourite was an unremarkable cliff stopping area on the coast road running along the east coast of northern NB with a great view of the cormorant colony on the jagged rocks offshore. There is also a cormorant colony where I live in northern NB, but not much else for tourists. The best way into NB without passing into the orange danger zone is to travel through southern Quebec south shore of the Saint Lawrence on Quebec hwy 185/becomes TransCanada 2 direction Edmunston and St Leonard. At St Leonard you take hwy 17 to Atholville, just east of Campbellton where you get on hwy 11 east (through the woods and more direct) or hwy 134 (along the coast through small coastal communities) as far as Bathurst. If you plan to visit l'Acadie continue along the northern routes to the Acadian Peninsula in the direction of Caraquet, or head from Bathurst south along hwy 8 ti Miramichi where you rejoin hwy 11 south along the east coast of NB, the Fundy Coast. Past Moncton you can get on hwy 15 around Shediac and head east to Cap Tormentine where you can drive over the Confederation Bridge to PEI, which lands you at Borden-Carleton. Tolls: https://www.confederationbridge.com/tolls-fees/ they didn't accept debit last I passed through, I had to pay $50 cash. Here's a reasonable road map of NB: https://www.canadamaps.com/new-brunswick-road-map/ there are long stretches in NB without gas stations or cafes. The gas stations often keep limited daytime hours, and food outlets even more limited. If you have health issues re food, I suggest you pack a cooler as the most exotic food here is Tim Hortons. Always use any toilet you can find, the next one may be far away. Most restaurants have signs saying toilets for customers only. So you have to buy a pack of gum or something at least. Roadside coffee is gruesome along that route. If you get to Cape Breton, take the Cabot Trail round it. Just make sure your brakes are working good beforehand. Breathtaking and slightly terrifying coastal route in some spots. Regarding Le Festival Acadian most of the free events are all day on the 15th Aug. Bring chair.
Good day John and Roberta,
While I agree with your observations on U.S.A. vs Canada I do have a different viewpoint on your first two comments.
The whole point, of each individual citizen of this world contributing to the reduction of emissions, is to actually 'reduce our emissions', which means driving eco friendly vehicles, as you're doing, but also actually driving less. That's where the cost comes in. If it's too expensive, then we will reduce our use.
Your comment about 'the forest fires that hit us in Ontario are not harmless to our health" is actually inaccurate. I, for one, have issues with my lungs and have noticed that the forest fire smoke has affected my health and I live in the southern most area of Ontario--in Essex County. Another thing that's been happening is that my smoke alarm has been going off in my house when the fire smoke is reported to be in my area, even when the smell is not detectable. You may find this article interesting on the 'Toxins in Wildfire Smoke'. https://grist.org/climate/canada-wildfire-smoke-toxic-arsenic/
Have a great day and stay cool--the temps are in the 90's in my neck of the woods and the humidex puts it over 100. Climate crisis anyone?
Hi Charlene, Thank you for your reply.. I know I should have said "not without harm" instead of saying not harmless. I did not say harmless that is for sure...I feel it too and I stay inside with our air cleaners on. Our business is outdoors construction which is very busy at this time of year. They often have to wear masks because of the smoke from the forest fires.
We have a wood stove that we use only for emergencies in case the hydro goes out which has happened quite often as we do not live in a city. An ice storm took out our hydro for 5 days. We do have generators but even then you have to have a back up as we have learned over the years.
As I read it, your meaning is correct as you phrased it. "The smoke from the forest fires... ARE NOT HARMLESS..." I.E ARE HARMFUL. And Yes..."not without harm" also works. Cheers.
Nothing will be done in time to avert catastrophic global warming and its attendant calamities of mass species extinction, severe droughts, global crop failures, famine, tropical disease migration, extreme weather events, coastal flooding, massive wildfires, societal disruption, and armed conflicts over resources.
Nothing. Just watch.
We'll have COP30, COP31, and COP32 climate summits ad nauseum, and greenhouse gas levels will continue to increase along with temperatures.
And while there is a rapidly diminishing window of time in which humans could stop — or even slow significantly — the accelerating increase in atmospheric greenhouse gas levels, it should be
obvious to anyone by now that the window will slam shut before anything is done other than useless talking and vows to take action sometime in the future.
I agree with you Peter even though it's so much doom and gloom. I will still, as an individual citizen of the world, continue to do whatever I can to add to the reduction in emissions. That being said, I'm not a fool to know that the majority of the change is going to have to come from the 1% of people who hold the wealth, influence and power. We, the little people, will just have to 'influence' them with our $$.
💙🇨🇦💙
Thank you, Charlie, for telling you truth about the oil industry. This is like living in a bad science fiction movie.
The “Money” always seems to win, no matter the cost to humanity
Amen sister! Therefore, OUR money can have influence on those that want to profit from us. We know that it works when we withhold our $$ on purchasing U.S. products travelling to the U.S., so why can't it work, in each of our own small ways, on the mega-corporations that our profiting off of us and subsequently supporting the oil industry. Our votes and our influence on our lawmakers make a difference too.