You’re all hypocrites: Why it's a colossal cop-out to keep blaming Canada's sky high emissions on Alberta

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Fri, 2019-01-25 10:55

Martin N.

This week, the city of Victoria, B.C. announced plansto launch a class action lawsuit against the oil and gas sector. The idea is to tally up the various damages done to the city by climate change and send the bill to the likes of Suncor or CNRL.

It’s the latest salvo of a movement that seeks to singularly blame the oil industry for climate change while conveniently ignoring the millions of daily consumer choices, often made by activists themselves, that contribute to Canada’s fossil fuel addiction.........

........

Victoria is Canada’s busiest cruise ship port of call

At the same time that they’re itemizing damages they can expense to ExxonMobil, Victoria is aggressively trying to attract more cruise ships. Mayor Lisa Helps, in fact, has championed a campaign that would make Victoria a home port for vessels. “It’s a great opportunity not only from the room nights from a tourism perspective but also for the spinoffs it would generate for the local economy,” she told local CBC. Tourism is very important to the B.C. capital, and a lot of that is indeed sustained by the estimated $130 million brought in by the city’s more than 200 cruise ship visits per year. But it all comes at the cost of enormous, heavy-oil-powered pleasure vessels idling just out of sight. The size and efficiency of cruise ships vary, but an analysis by the Global Sustainable Tourism Dashboard estimated that the average cruise ship passenger is racking up a carbon bill of 0.82 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent; roughly the same as a trans-Atlantic flight. The European Committee on Transport and Tourism, meanwhile, has estimated that a cruise ship passenger does about 36 cents of environmental damage for every kilometre they travel. It’s essentially a marine equivalent of Victoria’s economy being dependent on a sprawling parking lot filled with constantly idling RVs. Oh, and Victoria also just opened a dedicated marina for mega-yachts..........

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/youre-all-hypocrites-why-its-a-colo...

But, but only oil tankers bother Orcas - Suzuki said so.

I believe that Trans Mountain was flawed from the get-go because a project of this size is just plain wrong for a metropolitan area, a river estuary with world class fish resources, a congested harbour and and a very busy waterway to open ocean that threatens ocean species.

Limit the impact by reducing the size and increase the volume of refined products to the coast and revisit Gateway with either an indigenous ownership component or a merger with Pacific Spirit consortium.

Fri, 2019-01-25 10:58

quizzical

oh goody we get to read conservative talking points here first thing in the morning.

Fri, 2019-01-25 11:01

Martin N.

We are not all idiots on the Left Coast, in fact most peoplekind on Fantasy Island are sensible folkkind who understand the complexities of this transition to a new energy age. It's simply that the lunatics generate all the press, as the above article amply states.

As any poll proves, the lunatics are in the minority but insist on speaking as if they do so for everyone. Most peoplekind in BC are quite normal.

Fri, 2019-01-25 11:05

(Reply to #3) #4

Martin N.

quizzical wrote:

oh goody we get to read conservative talking points here first thing in the morning.

You did not even have time to read it before beaking off, quizz. With the downright goofiness of local pols, it's downright embarrassing to be labeled a BC peoplekind these days.

Fri, 2019-01-25 15:10

quizzical

do you honestly believe that i had not already read this conservative talking point on fb?

how many times do you think i should?

i lived down in Sooke and went snorkeling all over the inner passage harbours and inlets. i know all about the bs sewage controversy and about cruise ships and their pollution.

Fri, 2019-01-25 15:12

quizzical

http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/leave-victorias-raw-sewage-alone-alberta

Fri, 2019-01-25 15:14

quizzical

https://www.crd.bc.ca/project/wastewater-treatment-project/current-construction-activities

Fri, 2019-01-25 16:16

alan smithee alan smithee's picture

Alberta is a tar sand outhouse attached to their buddies in Saskatchewan a flat swill water diuretic. A bunch of Conservastive losers. Alberta is site 1 when it comes to pollution,the tar sands and oil economy is helping to kill the planet. At least clear blue lakes and rivers in the province and BC. At least.

Fri, 2019-01-25 20:12

(Reply to #8) #9

Martin N.

quizzical wrote:

do you honestly believe that i had not already read this conservative talking point on fb?

how many times do you think i should?

i lived down in Sooke and went snorkeling all over the inner passage harbours and inlets. i know all about the bs sewage controversy and about cruise ships and their pollution.

You accomplished a lot in the three minutes between my Post and your response. Confusing the antics on Facebook with comprehension of the above article is not the same as a thoughtful review of an opposing opinion, no matter what social media distortions you are devoted to.

"It's on Facebook, it must be true!"

Sooke? My sympathies.

Fri, 2019-01-25 20:35

(Reply to #9) #10

Martin N.

alan smithee wrote:

Alberta is a tar sand outhouse attached to their buddies in Saskatchewan a flat swill water diuretic. A bunch of Conservastive losers. Alberta is site 1 when it comes to pollution,the tar sands and oil economy is helping to kill the planet. At least clear blue lakes and rivers in the province and BC. At least.

Last year coal fired generation grew by 4% in China and 13% in India but let's demonise those Alberta rednecks.

50% of all vehicles sold in Canada are honking big pickups or SUVs while EV accounts for less than3% but lets demonise Alberta.

Where are all you morally superior neomarxists suggesting other peoplekind charge their EV s? Anyone not owning a detached home may find their condo building or apartment building doesn't have the capacity available. Must be Alberta's fault.

You do understand, Alan, that many of the cowboys roaming around the west are transplants from Quebec, huh. Very welcome for their skills and their contributions, too.

Fri, 2019-01-25 20:49

#11

lagatta4

What is this shit? You are accusing people at large of being hypocrites when you don't know how any of us live. I'm not responsible for the drivers (very small minority of them on my street) who have SUVs. I've never driven a fucking car in my life, and I'm a boomer. Obviously I know that most people in rural areas anywhere have to drive the things, as they have no alternative.

Fri, 2019-01-25 20:54

#12

NDPP

End Times Dead Ahead (and vid)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/01/25/end-times-dead-ahead/

"Is it too late...?"

Sat, 2019-01-26 12:01

(Reply to #12) #13

Martin N.

lagatta4 wrote:

What is this shit? You are accusing people at large of being hypocrites when you don't know how any of us live. I'm not responsible for the drivers (very small minority of them on my street) who have SUVs. I've never driven a fucking car in my life, and I'm a boomer. Obviously I know that most people in rural areas anywhere have to drive the things, as they have no alternative.

What is this s--t? Try comprehending the article and decide for yourself.

Its lovely that you can live such a low carbon life and granted, many peoplekind must travel great distances in this huge country of ours BUT, the point of this article, to me, is that peoplekind who can live a low carbon life like yours are choosing the honking big pickup or luxury powerful SUV.

In order to even attempt to meet carbon reduction targets, Canadians need to pull together to find solutions, not continue this ideological dichotomy that places moral preening above progress.

Try understanding the issue before leaping to condemn. Politicians can fly to all the conferences, pass all the laws, increase all the taxes they wish but until this culture of entitlement is changed, nothing else will.

Sat, 2019-01-26 12:24

(Reply to #13) #14

Martin N.

NDPP wrote:

End Times Dead Ahead (and vid)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/01/25/end-times-dead-ahead/

"Is it too late...?"

Yeah, there seems to be a lot of doomsday projectioning going on. Energy use directly correlates to population and standard of living. I get the fact that wealth to afford energy does not entitle an individual to consume more than their individual share but is it not a moral imperative to live a lower carbon lifestyle?

The usual suspects rush on to this topic to condemn your humble servant for 'right wing talking points' without bothering to understand the issue. The hypocrisy comes from those who do not practice what they preach, not from those who do.

I respect many peoplekind who live within their environmental means, whether an urbanite walking to the greengrocer or a rustic living off grid and feeding themselves as much as possible. I do have a problem, however, with those who preach doom and castigate others while travelling by private jet and limo or those who wish for the reduction of other peoplekind' lifestyles but not their own, ie: hypocrites.

Sat, 2019-01-26 12:43

(Reply to #14) #15

montgomery

Martin N. wrote:

NDPP wrote:

End Times Dead Ahead (and vid)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/01/25/end-times-dead-ahead/

"Is it too late...?"

Yeah, there seems to be a lot of doomsday projectioning going on. Energy use directly correlates to population and standard of living. I get the fact that wealth to afford energy does not entitle an individual to consume more than their individual share but is it not a moral imperative to live a lower carbon lifestyle?

The usual suspects rush on to this topic to condemn your humble servant for 'right wing talking points' without bothering to understand the issue. The hypocrisy comes from those who do not practice what they preach, not from those who do.

I respect many peoplekind who live within their environmental means, whether an urbanite walking to the greengrocer or a rustic living off grid and feeding themselves as much as possible. I do have a problem, however, with those who preach doom and castigate others while travelling by private jet and limo or those who wish for the reduction of other peoplekind' lifestyles but not their own, ie: hypocrites.

As a general rule I think that most people who care in the least about AGW will criticize lifestyles that are more extravagant than their own.

Then there are the ones who don't care a lick for AGW because they don't believe in it. That would be most Conservatives I suspect.

Sat, 2019-01-26 12:51

#16

NDPP

I agree. By the way, how's that condo in Hawaii working out?

Sat, 2019-01-26 12:57

#17

MegB

The premise of this thread is to insult everyone on babble who doesn't think the way you do Martin. There's a limit to how much assholishness I'll allow from you. You can either respectfully disagree with opinions or you can leave. Closing this thread.

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