Crawl, Walk, Run….again

With the new administration we are returning to science and evidence-based decision making. In the science community there has been a deep collective sigh of relief.

But this does not mean, by any stretch, we are on a path to climate salvation. The oil companies are pouring money into their media megaphones to cast doubt in our minds.

For instance, criticism of the Paris Climate Accord is spinning back up. Dated 7/1/2017, I wrote a long LTE on the merits of the Paris Climate Accord. It was valid when written but even more so today. Extreme weather, fueled by the steroid of greenhouse gasses, continues to pile on more heat and more disasters.

The irrational arguments used against science in 2017 are again filling the right-wing news columns and blogs. Scientists, Economists, and Journalists call these “Zombie” arguments because they resurface regularly as they crawl out of their graves. The science community, thinking they have killed a lie, once again must drive a stake of science truth into the lies and toss them back into the graveyard of falsehoods. This has been repeated so many times one scientist remarked, “I don’t think there is room for another nail in that coffin.”  

 Let me give you some advice when listening to, thinking through, or talking about climate actions.  First, always ask yourself or the other person, “Are we advancing a solution? If not, are we being sidetracked?”

There is no single solution to the climate crisis, but there are two absolutes. Absolute #1: We must cease burning almost all coal, oil, and gas. This is essential but not going to happen overnight. It will not be easy but the sooner we transition to clean power the less destruction our kids will have to endure downstream.   

The Keystone Pipeline/ Alberta Tar Sands is a recurring greasy Zombie argument we need to address again. I am both a full Canadian and full American citizen. I will pull no punches. The Alberta Tar Sands project is the worst environmental catastrophe ever launched by man. It destroys the land (the largest strip mine in the world), it uses and pollutes massive amounts of water leaving toxic water reservoirs, and the process of extracting/refining the tar pushes more CO2 into the atmosphere than any other petroleum extraction process in the world. Since the Tar Sands project was a mistake from the start it only makes sense this mess needs to be the first shut down.

If we allow the Keystone Pipeline to cross the United States, we are an accomplice to the carnage in Canada and the destruction of the climate.

We will hear outrage about pipeline jobs lost.  All the carping will be made without analyzing the consequences of building more fossil fuel infrastructure. Are a few jobs more important than the planet? Pipeline construction is a one, maybe two season job. Oil companies build pipelines because, after they are built, they employ VERY few people. I flew inspection flights up and down the massive 800-mile Alaskan pipeline.  11 pump stations were built. Seven have been closed to save money (read less employees). Four small pump station crews and a few maintenance teams service 800 miles of pipe.

If we want to play a role protecting unemployed pipeline and oil field workers I suggest calling or writing your congressman encouraging legislation to keep these workers financially afloat while they are being retrained. Solar and wind jobs are growing fast. These responsible and fulfilling jobs will be around a long time.

Absolute #2: It will have to be a worldwide effort. Misinformation Zombie attacks on the Paris Climate Accord are surfacing again. World cooperation will be essential to solve the climate crisis and The Paris Climate Accord is the start. The Accord was pre-planned to be, first a crawl, then a walk, and finally a run effort to insure we leave our kids a sustainable earth. Eventually, to be effective, the Accord must be aggressive and hold each country to their carbon reduction goals. As it is currently written it is voluntary and will not save the world’s climate. The next climate action committee meets this year in Glasgow, Scotland. To be successful the United States must encourage world nations to move out of the crawl stage to the, “walking the talk” stage, with hopes all nations will eventually run together in climate action. If we get behind it the Paris Accord will become the framework needed for worldwide action. The good news is many nations are already walking their talk and a few are already running showing us the way.  

As questions pop into your mind feel free to contact me. If I cannot answer your questions the American Association of Science, Sci-line, has granted me reporter status. With this status, I have access to member scientists and their expertise.

e-mail: climatelynx@earthlink.net

Phone: 906-285-3702   

 

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