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Showing posts from February, 2016

Rod's Corner

May the Source be with you In honour of what will soon become the highest grossing and likely, the most viewed movie of all time, my theme for this issue of the Source will be Star Wars. Hopefully, given the state of the Alberta economy, this will not be the final issue, but just an episode in a continuing saga in this space. $Tar Wars  Episode 1: The Dark Lord and ‘The City of Light’  In a Galaxy, not too far far away, the war between the evil forces of the antioilsand’s supporters led by the Dark Lord, Darth O.B.1ama, continue their attempts to manipulate the planet’s climate in a villainous ploy to extort payment from a confused and economically challenged human population. The Republic’s dark plan is to force citizens to use much more expensive alternative energy sources, over which, the Dark Lord has total control. He is supported by his 2 key henchmen Warren the Buff and Bill the Gatekeeper and an army of formidable storm-troopers. The Dark Lord and his Gorey cronies g

THE BOOGEYMAN IS CLIMATE POLICY NOT CLIMATE CHANGE

AAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!!!! Melting ice caps, brown polar bears, hurricanes, droughts, floods, syphilis (I think), cold winters, warm winters, lightning, terrorism (seriously), weed, tidal waves, indigestion, and a whole other list of holy horrors are at our threshold because of climate change and that climate change is due to *bony finger extends from screen* YOU!                 Well, that’s what’s being fed to us and our kids, AND for years now. I just have to ask, is climate change still a thing?                 Let’s start with the fact that its beginning was dubious. When I was in short pants, it was ‘global warming’. That didn’t perfectly fit the reality of what was going on, so the environmental profiteers figured the more all-encompassing ‘climate change’ would serve their purpose better. It’s a nice catch-all for having an explanation for any question no one’s asked yet. And it can insulate from the ever-growning list of failed predictions from our climate scions.          

Striking a Balance

Let’s get some facts out of the way before getting too deeply into this discussion. Science is science no matter what any actor, producer, or politician tries to tell you. The absolute bottom line is man is tough on our planet! The industrial revolution understandably has changed the makeup of our air, water, and soil. NASA points out that CO2 in the atmosphere is at an all-time high of 400 ppm. Prior to 1950, the atmospheric CO2 ranged from 100 ppm to 300 ppm. Glacial ice IS melting, but in the last 650,000 years, there have been seven cycles of advance and retreat of glacial ice. We should also all understand CH4 (methane) is roughly 23 times more damaging to the atmosphere than CO2. Nitrous oxide is another GHG that is rarely mentioned but does considerable damage. The planet IS warming, and it is a direct result of man.                 According to the U.S. EPA, if we shipped 830,000 bpd from the oil sands to gulf coast refineries via the keystone pipeline, it would add, in tota

It was the best of times ..........

I think that one day we will look back upon the last couple of decades and say that without a doubt those were the best years for humanity in terms of lifestyle, safety and security here in Canada and in other developed economies. It would seem doubtful that humans will solve the issue of climate change. Canada, in an effort to lead by example, looks to create an economic shift in our economy in order to reduce our 1.8 % percent of global emissions. The outcomes from Paris suggest China will double their emissions by 2030 and India will triple theirs. Currently the carbon tax being proposed by the Federal Government is $15 tonne. That number needs to be somewhere around $160 tonne to reach the stated targets. Peter Foster writes in the Financial Post on Feb 18, 2016 titled Naomi Klein stars in ‘This Misrepresents Everything’ : ….. Klein’s documentary This Changes Everything, which will air on CBC - “Can I be honest with you?” Klein asks at the beginning of this very dishones

Our Energy to 2040: Seven things to know

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By: ExxonMobil

Alberta And Saskatchewan Must Align On Energy Issues As Country Considers Carbon Policy

BY   CARTER HAYDU   –   FEB. 5, 2016   –   VIEW ISSUE   Whatever ideological differences Saskatchewan’s right-of-centre government and Alberta’s left-of-centre government might have, their leaders need to “bury the hatchet” and present a common argument in regards to their energy sectors in the face of federal climate policies that could hit the oil-rich Prairie provinces’ economies harder than in the rest of Canada. “Saskatchewan and Alberta share interests,” said   Trevor McLeod ,director of the Centre for Natural Resources Policy for the   Canada West Foundation . He added: “We need to remind Canadians that the world is changing, and that we need to adapt.” McLeod told Thursday’s   Economics Society of Calgary   luncheon there is precedent for the two provinces to align on energy issues, even when their governing parties are on opposite sides of the political spectrum. He said premiers   Rachel Notley   and   Brad Wall   could look to when Saskatchewan was the prov