A convenient truth

Separating the green from the greedy

LEAH GALLEY

Politicians today have a bad reputation. False promises, scandals and varied loyalties are just some of the many conceptions the public holds towards the political elite elected to run this wonderful democratic country of Canada. Appealing to millions of people is no easy feat, and strategic methods are often employed to grab the interests of our minimal voting population. Lower taxes, education credits, and health care promises are all attempts to capitalize on the issues Canadians are most concerned about. Meanwhile, alternative motives are on the back burner as politicians try to secure their seat in the House of Commons. Sometimes questionable methods are employed while paying lip service to the public. However, this has become business as usual and Canadians have become accustomed to expecting such cunning behaviour. Why get your hopes up when you’re only going to be let down?

Politicians have taken this political lip service much too far when it comes to one of the most important issues facing our society: the environment. With the 2006 release of Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth, a small glimmer of hope that politicians might be ready to heed the warnings of our human impact on the world was found. Maybe it could even inspire others to follow the government’s example. At least this is how it appears, or how they want it to appear.

In Canada, Stephen Harper has committed $4.5 billion in the 2007 budget to clean our air and water, to reduce greenhouse gases and to fight climate change. Looking at previous investments, the grand total of environment contribution since 2006 by the Conservative government has been $9 billion. Wow, the government is really taking climate change seriously; maybe this is a display of genuine concern, rather then a political platform.

But as we’ve become accustomed to such in the Canadian political arena, things may not always be as they seem. Canada’s staple-based economy has taken priority with policymakers, leaving the environment behind as a distant priority. Before Canada became a major oil exporter, it had been a champion of the controversial 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the UN to reduce greenhouse emissions. Under that agreement, 35 industrialized nations were obligated to reduce emissions by an average of five per cent below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012. Canada had high hopes and agreed to reach six per cent by 2012. And how is Canada doing with that commitment?

In actuality, Canada’s emission levels have shot up 30 to 35 per cent since 1990. Crude oil now flows from the northern oil sands region of Alberta, south to the U.S. state of Texas and elsewhere for processing into gasoline. The extraction of crude from Canada’s oil sands is expensive and highly polluting, so much so that the region is now the single largest and fastest growing source of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. And where has the $9 billion gone that was originally allocated to environmental contributions? That money has gone to feed the psyches of millions of Canadians, conceivably a down payment to secure the next election. The environment, Canadians and the globe deserve better than this disregard, lip service and mockery of climate change concerns. The environment is in jeopardy and degrading quickly. So how can Canadians address this issue and save the environment?

The first issue in need of remedy is the fact that the environment has got to be seen as an important good, a necessity for everyday life. The irony is that without an environment, life cannot survive; however, society finds it so easy to take for granted. Attitudes and habits need to change, and a greater value must be placed on our surroundings. The fact that Canada has a staple-based economy jeopardizes its progression with the exploitation of resources.

To truly solve this crisis, Canada needs to take on a different perspective, one where the environment is valued as a necessity to our existence. Valuing the environment would ensure that the abandonment of staples does not become necessary, but rather taking better care of our staples would become the priority. There is some hope that the future generations will value sustainable environmental measures, yet someone needs to be the hero and promote them. Who better then the political leaders themselves?

The major feat is to ensure that there is an environment left for future generations. Politics will go back and forth and the world can handle and even come to expect that, but the Earth needs to stay constant. The state is in the perfect position to set an example by creating an overall consensus of the consequences of environmental ignorance. The environment has to stop being used as a political platform and begs to be viewed as imperative to our continued existence. It is not a convenient truth to secure the next election, but rather to secure our survival.

Leah Galley is a graduate student in the master of public administration program.





Volume 95 Issue 3	The Official University of Manitoba Students' Newspaper Website	August 22, 2007

Home About Us Advertising Rates Contact Staff Current Issue PDF Employment Letters to the Editor Meet the Staff Online Archives Volunteer Online Classifieds St. Vincent's Academy Diaries	Font Size Respond Email Print-Friendly A convenient truth Separating the green from the greedy LEAH GALLEY Politicians today have a bad reputation. False promises, scandals and varied loyalties are just some of the many conceptions the public holds towards the political elite elected to run this wonderful democratic country of Canada. Appealing to millions of people is no easy feat, and strategic methods are often employed to grab the interests of our minimal voting population. Lower taxes, education credits, and health care promises are all attempts to capitalize on the issues Canadians are most concerned about. Meanwhile, alternative motives are on the back burner as politicians try to secure their seat in the House of Commons. Sometimes questionable methods are employed while paying lip service to the public. However, this has become business as usual and Canadians have become accustomed to expecting such cunning behaviour. Why get your hopes up when you’re only going to be let down? Politicians have taken this political lip service much too far when it comes to one of the most important issues facing our society: the environment. With the 2006 release of Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth, a small glimmer of hope that politicians might be ready to heed the warnings of our human impact on the world was found. Maybe it could even inspire others to follow the government’s example. At least this is how it appears, or how they want it to appear. In Canada, Stephen Harper has committed $4.5 billion in the 2007 budget to clean our air and water, to reduce greenhouse gases and to fight climate change. Looking at previous investments, the grand total of environment contribution since 2006 by the Conservative government has been $9 billion. Wow, the government is really taking climate change seriously; maybe this is a display of genuine concern, rather then a political platform. But as we’ve become accustomed to such in the Canadian political arena, things may not always be as they seem. Canada’s staple-based economy has taken priority with policymakers, leaving the environment behind as a distant priority. Before Canada became a major oil exporter, it had been a champion of the controversial 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the UN to reduce greenhouse emissions. Under that agreement, 35 industrialized nations were obligated to reduce emissions by an average of five per cent below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012. Canada had high hopes and agreed to reach six per cent by 2012. And how is Canada doing with that commitment? In actuality, Canada’s emission levels have shot up 30 to 35 per cent since 1990. Crude oil now flows from the northern oil sands region of Alberta, south to the U.S. state of Texas and elsewhere for processing into gasoline. The extraction of crude from Canada’s oil sands is expensive and highly polluting, so much so that the region is now the single largest and fastest growing source of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. And where has the $9 billion gone that was originally allocated to environmental contributions? That money has gone to feed the psyches of millions of Canadians, conceivably a down payment to secure the next election. The environment, Canadians and the globe deserve better than this disregard, lip service and mockery of climate change concerns. The environment is in jeopardy and degrading quickly. So how can Canadians address this issue and save the environment? The first issue in need of remedy is the fact that the environment has got to be seen as an important good, a necessity for everyday life. The irony is that without an environment, life cannot survive; however, society finds it so easy to take for granted. Attitudes and habits need to change, and a greater value must be placed on our surroundings. The fact that Canada has a staple-based economy jeopardizes its progression with the exploitation of resources. To truly solve this crisis, Canada needs to take on a different perspective, one where the environment is valued as a necessity to our existence. Valuing the environment would ensure that the abandonment of staples does not become necessary, but rather taking better care of our staples would become the priority. There is some hope that the future generations will value sustainable environmental measures, yet someone needs to be the hero and promote them. Who better then the political leaders themselves? The major feat is to ensure that there is an environment left for future generations. Politics will go back and forth and the world can handle and even come to expect that, but the Earth needs to stay constant. The state is in the perfect position to set an example by creating an overall consensus of the consequences of environmental ignorance. The environment has to stop being used as a political platform and begs to be viewed as imperative to our continued existence. It is not a convenient truth to secure the next election, but rather to secure our survival. Leah Galley is a graduate student in the master of public administration program.


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