David Fisman is a tenured professor in the University of Toronto’s Division of Epidemiology. On Twitter a day ago, Dr. Fisman accused British Columbia health officials of employing “decision-based-evidence-making.”
Decision-based-evidence-making
Norm Farrell
Gwen and I raised three adult children in North Vancouver. Each lives in this community, as do our seven grandchildren. Before retirement, I worked in accounting and small business management. Since 2009, I have published commentary about public issues at IN-SIGHTS.CA.
So we don’t all lose
GUEST POST — If you read the climate science, climate breakdown is clearly a civilization if not humanity threatening emergency requiring urgent mitigation action. Reducing GHG emissions by at least half globally by 2030 is an imperative and halting new fossil infrastructure and initiating a managed decline of existing production is absolutely essential. This means coal and gas in BC and also ending forest industry destruction of BC forests, a major global carbon sink.
Disqualified candidate’s response to BC NDP leadership
Beyond matters of NDP policies that could easily be those of the BC Liberal party, Appadurai unloaded on Elizabeth Cull and NDP insiders for bias, hostility, unfairness, and back-dating of rules. A few days ago, I wrote The fix was in and Appadurai confirms it. Elizabeth Cull may have been conducting the fix, but the goal was established by the NDP’s Provincial Executive that appointed her.
How Anjali can win (So we don’t all lose)
GUEST POST – Appadurai, a climate and environmental activist, was running to draw attention to how BC NDP government climate policy and actions were deep brown – even though climate change is an emergency and getting worse.
The fix was in
Cull said the David Eby Campaign filed a complaint regarding violations of applicable law. Cull also wrote that Appadurai had obligations under British Columbia’s Election Act. The objective was to convince people that Ms. Appadurai was a scofflaw unworthy of holding a senior political position. Except the Election Act did not apply.
Undemocratic democracy
The activities of groups and individuals promoting preferred candidate David Eby were acceptable, while those working for Anjali Appadurai were, in the words of Elizabeth cull, “engaged in serious improper conduct.”
Energy storage developments
The world’s long-duration energy storage installations in 2030 are projected to be 15 times the level of storage capacity at the end of 2021. These will facilitate a shift to renewable energy sources. Canada has zero interest in being a leader in this transition.
Winds of change
Although humans have harnessed wind energy for 1,400 years or more, global capacity only began to grow substantially in the 21st century. Growth is a fraction of that needed if Earth is to achieve net-zero carbon before climate disaster overtakes humanity. Wind energy is affordable. Wind prices for power contracts signed in the last few years are 1.5–4 cents per kilowatt-hour. Compare to Site C where electricity will cost between 15 and 18 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Hidden fossil fuel subsidies
While government pays spin doctors to promote its climate plan as world leading, looking beyond the press releases shows the NDP is failing us badly…
The natural resource curse
On average, economies of resource-rich countries do not outperform countries lacking those natural materials. According to Jeffrey Frankel, Professor of Capital Formation and Growth at Harvard’s Kennedy School, this results from undesirable side effects of resource extraction…
A cunning plan
Gaining billions of dollars, with a promise of $50 billion more, by selling an unneeded product to a single customer for a multiple of market value ought to earn IPPs a featured place in the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.
Climate talk – UPDATED
Climate Uncensored provides information, commentary and assessment of the scale of the climate challenge and our responses to it. In this video, young activist Greta Thunberg and climate scientist Professor Kevin Anderson talk with Ingrid Rieser.
Learning politics
A British television series broadcast in the 1980s may explain public administration better than any political science journal or textbook. This video clip from Yes Prime Minister could be about British Columbia’s approach to climate change, or it could be about the BC NDP’s response to COVID-19, or flooding, or about any emergency that confronts the province.
Self-interest transcends public interest
In 2016, a future NDP Cabinet Minister told me that cancelling Site C was unlikely. The person said, “Would you be prepared to eliminate 3,000 jobs?” In retrospect, I conclude the concern was less about lost employment than about who would lose the jobs.
Burn now, pay later
Large parts of Canadian climate policies seem written by fossil fuel lobbyists inspired by the fake architecture of movie production. The aim of GHG emission reduction strategies is to look real without being real.
The world’s climate plan: make targets, miss targets, repeat, die
Millions of people have been affected by extraordinary weather events in 2022. The effects of climate change are compounding, but political leaders and industrialists use misinformation and outright lies to resist science and accelerate production of fossil fuels…
COVID-19 — panic, then neglect and harm
BC Government’s COVID panic began in March 2020, but was turning to neglect in the following year. It can be argued that neglect shifted to overtly harmful management of the pandemic…
Troubling information from recent public disclosures
BC’s Auditor General says the 2022 surplus would be $6.5 billion higher if government followed Canadian Public Sector Accounting Standards. The surplus would have been $8 billion had government also eliminated fossil fuel subsidies.
Pessimism seems appropriate
Instead of following science, which says fossil fuel production must decrease immediately, Canadian governments use taxpayer dollars to increase the output of coal, oil, and gas. I will be gone before the worst happens but people I love will face devastation. Pessimism seems appropriate.
“The make it or break it year”
Earth is showing us the need for immediate action. Politicians and business leaders are ignoring these messages; citizens who want future generations to survive, should not…
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Unfortunately, about 130 million Americans support Trump according to major polling organizations. That's particularly scary and reminds us of a…