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David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @alllibertynews and 49 others
Out of the gate at suppertime I was bored by this report and said nothing. This morning I still am by the same old same old from the usual suspects
#nbpoli#cdnpoli
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/climate-hearings-mla-committee-climate-change-targets-1.5456174
· CBC News· Posted: Feb 07, 2020 4:36 PM AT
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Tom MacFarlane, the deputy minister at the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development, testifies before the legislative committee on climate change at the legislature this week. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)
The first-ever hearings of the new legislative committee on climate change began on a hopeful note on Tuesday.
Officials from the Environment Department told MLAs from all four political parties that emissions-reduction targets were attainable — if government departments did their part on 118 commitments laid out in the 2016 climate change action plan.
"Implementing those things will put us on a trajectory to meeting those targets," said Jeff Hoyt, director of the department's climate change secretariat.
Hoyt laid out a bleak picture of how a changing climate will affect New Brunswick: more extreme weather, including more severe rain and major floods, and hotter days in summer bringing new pests and invasive species like blue-green algae.
But at least the policy apparatus of the province was moving toward those targets, which were written into law by the previous Liberal government and later adopted by the Progressive Conservative government.
While they're "aspirational" and not binding, "the fact that the targets are in the climate change action plan, and the climate change act, shows the importance of the targets to the province," said departmental deputy minister Kelli Simmonds.
![]()
Kelli Simmonds is the deputy minister of the Department of Environment and Local Government. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)
"That reflects really well on everybody, because both things have been approved by different parties of the legislature."
When it came time for details, however — when officials from individual departments appeared — a different picture emerged, of a civil service moving at a slow pace on implementing many of the 118 actions.
The December 2016 climate plan called for departments and Crown corporations "to assume responsibility" for emissions reductions and climate change adaptation "for specific economic sectors related to the department or corporation."
That was more than three years ago, and the Higgs government adopted the plan and its goals and commitments 14 months ago.
"That's work that has certainly only been initiated or started and we're trying to put the elements of that work together, but I think as you can appreciate, it's a fairly extensive effort to do such a thing," he said.
"Not only is it a conversation with government, but stakeholders, First Nations and a number of parties who would have input into that."
And he pointed out that NB Power has reduced emissions significantly since 2005.
"We continue to work at it in the absence of a truly defined or endorsed strategy," he said.
Those emissions have increased both in net numbers and as a share of the overall provincial output.
Coon pointed out that the 2016 plan says departments should "consider climate change in all decision-making" and that it be included as a consideration in mandate letters from the premier laying out priorities for ministers and Crown corporations.
![]()
Green Party Leader David Coon described what he saw as lack of urgency after hearing from government officials detailing progress on climate change commitments. (Jennifer Sweet/CBC)
But the new deputy minister, John Logan, hadn't seen such a letter.
"We did receive a letter," he said. "The last deputy did. I personally didn't receive it so I'm going to have to go back and look at that."
"So you got a mandate letter but you just don't know what's in it?" Coon asked.
"The former deputy had a mandate letter," said Shannon Sanford, the department's policy director. "There's been some transition and I'm not aware of a new letter being sent to the current deputy."
Sanford managed to cite some policies that he argued are lowering emissions, such as an upcoming strategy for river ferries that will reduce "the detour distances that people have to travel."
A consultant had submitted proposals for a broader plan to be discussed at a workshop this spring, he said.
But Coon wasn't impressed.
"I do not get a sense of urgency whatsoever," he said.
Some of the departments and agencies that appeared at the committee had more robust presentations: Service New Brunswick, for example, laid out how it was mapping flood risks to plan for future extreme weather.
The Crown corporation also said its energy-efficiency work with departments had reduced emissions by 30,000 tonnes and saved $8.4 million.
But overall, said climate researcher Louise Comeau of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, the three days of hearings painted a picture of climate policy lassitude.
"There is no political will, regardless of the government," she said. "I don't care what colour they are. They're all doing the same excuse-making, the same failure to say, 'This is real, we have to change our behaviours.'"
She faulted MLAs for not grappling with the big-picture climate issues facing the province.
![]()
Louise Comeau, a climate-policy researcher at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, says after hearing the testimony there doesn't appear to be the political will to tackle climate change head on. (CBC)
There wasn't a single question about the proposed Maritime Iron plant for Belledune, which would increase greenhouse gas emissions by 2.3 million tonnes, past the province's targets.
No one asked if it was realistic, as both Premier Blaine Higgs and Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers have suggested, to use hypothetical emissions reductions in China to offset the Maritime Iron increase.
"We're not having an adult conversation," Comeau said.
But Comeau said the civil servants in the spotlight this week were not to blame because they take direction from elected governments.
"They can't do anything if there's no political direction, and that is the failure of this government, and the previous government, and the previous government, to do that."
David Amos
Out of the gate at suppertime I was bored by this report and said nothing. This morning I still am by the same old same old from the usual suspects and their friends and foes. Methinks my bits of advice for what they are worth is that we should dig out from the blizzard the climate change has wrought and wait for another report about NB Power nonsense It should prove to be more fun to read N'esy Pas?
Lou Bell
Time to tighten the emissions belt on all corporate entities .
Donald Gallant
Anne Bérubé
The weather is just like in the 1940'S 50'S, 60'S, 70'S, 80'S, 90'S, etc, etc. What the heck are you talking about? Sure we pay a carbon tax and exactly how is it working for all of you now? You all have less money to spend!
Fred Brewer
Dan Armitage
Relax maybe at this moment were seeing a population control then we will meet these targets 8.5 billion adds up to a lot of Carbon. If the latest new virus keeps moving along we will meet these goals
Anne Bérubé
McKenzie King
In reality it matters little if Canada stops all carbon emissions immediately. Unless China, India and the USA curtail what they are doing, nothing will matter.
Fred Brewer
Fred Brewer
Despite federal and provincial government inaction, I am encouraged by the voluntary actions of many large corporations who have pledged to become carbon neutral, or have succeeded in becoming carbon neutral.
Microsoft has declared that it will remove all carbon it has emitted since the company was founded in 1975. In order to do so, it will become CARBON NEGATIVE by 2030.
Look folks, it can be done. It requires corporate goodwill for some, and it will have to be legislated for others. In the meantime we need to be thankful to corporations like Microsoft who are doing this without being forced.
SarahRose Werner
Terry Tibbs
Nelson Potter
FATHER Of The 2°C Climate Target Admits Number Is Fabricated : ‘Two degrees is not a magical limit; it’s clearly a political goal’
Nelson Potter
The US government will begin to fund geoengineering research … MIT Technology review
SarahRose Werner
Colin Seeley
Trying to solve Climate and Weather is analogous to trying to solve “ Rubiks Cube “ .
Unless someone shows you HOW it is unlikely to happen or be repeated.
Plans are useless unless they can be carried out and that won’t happen without big dollars.
All of those quoted above are “ Emitters of Words “ .
Michael Durant
Why are cities always cutting public transportation services if the increasing use of cars and trucks is a problem?
Paul Bourgoin
If it is not moving and there appears to be stalling then legislate it at the government level. Another question is who legislates the laws ? The Crown or Industry? When Joe Public receives his property taxes there is no bargaining only pay-up. So who is in charge of New Brunswick, the elected officials or industry?
Roland Godin
Question: Does CO contribute to collective disillusionment?...et voilà.
Joe Rootliek
Might as well come out and ban Gasoline then. Put a limit on what the size of a house in Canada will be for heating purposes, to save energy. Carbon tax people with bigger homes? What else are you going to do?
Hit people in the pocket books for doing what they have done for the last 120 years. Drive a car. Heat your home with wood, oil, or electricity. Cook your food with wood, electricity, or propane.
How will they get middle class, lower middle class, to afford these changes. The middle class live from check to check, good luck in getting them to upgrade to solar ( which has its downsides too and lose power over time), wind ( wind turbines do not last forever either).
They are living in dream land.
Kyle Woodman
SarahRose Werner
SarahRose Werner
"There is no political will, regardless of the government... the same failure to say, 'This is real, we have to change our behaviours.'" - That's because elected officials want to get re-elected and because there's no will among people in general to make real changes in their behaviour. I don't know anyone who's moved to be within walking distance of their place of work because they don't want to drive a gasoline-powered car and can't afford an electric one. I don't know anyone who's sold their home and bought a smaller, better-insulated one that will use less fuel to heat because they're worried about climate change. People don't want to pay more for gas, oil, electricity, etc. People may say that they want the government to do "something" about climate change, but there's little that the government can do putting pressure on people to make changes they don't want to make.
Kyle Woodman
Lets have more meetings about meetings. That should speed things up.
John Smith
slow walk this scv cmkkl
Miles Haukeness
If NB was serious about reducing climate change, first thing to go would be to ban killing all the ocean life which is the worlds largest carbon sink, sequestering billions of tons of CO2 into limestone every year but only works if the biomass is active.
Marzipan Wylier
Climate change is just being put in our faces nonstop because it's a tax scan by the UN. Just another way that Ottawa is trying to put New Brunswick industry down.
Fred Brewer
Fred Brewer
The Higgs government adopted the climateplan and its goals and commitments 14 months ago but Tom MacFarlane, the deputy minister at the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development, acknowledged that his staff have still not put together an energy strategy to guide policy decisions on lower emissions from electricity generation. Mr. McFarlane had this to say:
"That's work that has certainly only been initiated or started and we're trying to put the elements of that work together, but I think as you can appreciate, it's a fairly extensive effort to do such a thing"
So he has had 14 months and the work has only been initiated. Why do I get the feeling that they had only one meeting and then completely forgot about it?
Kyle Woodman
David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @alllibertynews and 49 others
Out of the gate at suppertime I was bored by this report and said nothing. This morning I still am by the same old same old from the usual suspects
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/climate-hearings-mla-committee-climate-change-targets-1.5456174
Climate hearings reveal slow pace of government action
Critics see a 'lack of urgency' in addressing climate change at the government level
· CBC News· Posted: Feb 07, 2020 4:36 PM AT
Tom MacFarlane, the deputy minister at the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development, testifies before the legislative committee on climate change at the legislature this week. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)
The first-ever hearings of the new legislative committee on climate change began on a hopeful note on Tuesday.
Officials from the Environment Department told MLAs from all four political parties that emissions-reduction targets were attainable — if government departments did their part on 118 commitments laid out in the 2016 climate change action plan.
"Implementing those things will put us on a trajectory to meeting those targets," said Jeff Hoyt, director of the department's climate change secretariat.
Hoyt laid out a bleak picture of how a changing climate will affect New Brunswick: more extreme weather, including more severe rain and major floods, and hotter days in summer bringing new pests and invasive species like blue-green algae.
But at least the policy apparatus of the province was moving toward those targets, which were written into law by the previous Liberal government and later adopted by the Progressive Conservative government.
While they're "aspirational" and not binding, "the fact that the targets are in the climate change action plan, and the climate change act, shows the importance of the targets to the province," said departmental deputy minister Kelli Simmonds.
Kelli Simmonds is the deputy minister of the Department of Environment and Local Government. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)
"That reflects really well on everybody, because both things have been approved by different parties of the legislature."
When it came time for details, however — when officials from individual departments appeared — a different picture emerged, of a civil service moving at a slow pace on implementing many of the 118 actions.
The December 2016 climate plan called for departments and Crown corporations "to assume responsibility" for emissions reductions and climate change adaptation "for specific economic sectors related to the department or corporation."
That was more than three years ago, and the Higgs government adopted the plan and its goals and commitments 14 months ago.
But Tom MacFarlane, the deputy minister at the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development, acknowledged that his staff have still not put together an energy strategy to guide policy decisions on lower emissions from electricity generation.
"That's work that has certainly only been initiated or started and we're trying to put the elements of that work together, but I think as you can appreciate, it's a fairly extensive effort to do such a thing," he said.
"Not only is it a conversation with government, but stakeholders, First Nations and a number of parties who would have input into that."
They can't do anything if there's no political direction, and that is the failure of this government, and the previous government, and the previous government.
- Louise Comeau, Conservation Council of New BrunswickHe said the department hoped to lay out "how we're going to tackle that" early in the new fiscal year that starts April 1.
And he pointed out that NB Power has reduced emissions significantly since 2005.
"We continue to work at it in the absence of a truly defined or endorsed strategy," he said.
Green leader sees lack of urgency
Later that afternoon, Green Party Leader David Coon asked the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure about its plans to lower emissions from cars and trucks.Those emissions have increased both in net numbers and as a share of the overall provincial output.
Coon pointed out that the 2016 plan says departments should "consider climate change in all decision-making" and that it be included as a consideration in mandate letters from the premier laying out priorities for ministers and Crown corporations.
Green Party Leader David Coon described what he saw as lack of urgency after hearing from government officials detailing progress on climate change commitments. (Jennifer Sweet/CBC)
But the new deputy minister, John Logan, hadn't seen such a letter.
"We did receive a letter," he said. "The last deputy did. I personally didn't receive it so I'm going to have to go back and look at that."
"So you got a mandate letter but you just don't know what's in it?" Coon asked.
"The former deputy had a mandate letter," said Shannon Sanford, the department's policy director. "There's been some transition and I'm not aware of a new letter being sent to the current deputy."
Sanford managed to cite some policies that he argued are lowering emissions, such as an upcoming strategy for river ferries that will reduce "the detour distances that people have to travel."
A consultant had submitted proposals for a broader plan to be discussed at a workshop this spring, he said.
But Coon wasn't impressed.
"I do not get a sense of urgency whatsoever," he said.
Some of the departments and agencies that appeared at the committee had more robust presentations: Service New Brunswick, for example, laid out how it was mapping flood risks to plan for future extreme weather.
The Crown corporation also said its energy-efficiency work with departments had reduced emissions by 30,000 tonnes and saved $8.4 million.
'There is no political will'
But overall, said climate researcher Louise Comeau of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, the three days of hearings painted a picture of climate policy lassitude.
"There is no political will, regardless of the government," she said. "I don't care what colour they are. They're all doing the same excuse-making, the same failure to say, 'This is real, we have to change our behaviours.'"
She faulted MLAs for not grappling with the big-picture climate issues facing the province.
Louise Comeau, a climate-policy researcher at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, says after hearing the testimony there doesn't appear to be the political will to tackle climate change head on. (CBC)
There wasn't a single question about the proposed Maritime Iron plant for Belledune, which would increase greenhouse gas emissions by 2.3 million tonnes, past the province's targets.
No one asked if it was realistic, as both Premier Blaine Higgs and Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers have suggested, to use hypothetical emissions reductions in China to offset the Maritime Iron increase.
"We're not having an adult conversation," Comeau said.
Hoyt acknowledged during the first day of hearings that the 2016 plan "was a bold plan and it's very challenging from an implementation perspective to do all of those things at once."
But Comeau said the civil servants in the spotlight this week were not to blame because they take direction from elected governments.
"They can't do anything if there's no political direction, and that is the failure of this government, and the previous government, and the previous government, to do that."
58 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.
David Amos
Out of the gate at suppertime I was bored by this report and said nothing. This morning I still am by the same old same old from the usual suspects and their friends and foes. Methinks my bits of advice for what they are worth is that we should dig out from the blizzard the climate change has wrought and wait for another report about NB Power nonsense It should prove to be more fun to read N'esy Pas?
Lou Bell
Time to tighten the emissions belt on all corporate entities .
Donald Gallant
Anne Bérubé
The weather is just like in the 1940'S 50'S, 60'S, 70'S, 80'S, 90'S, etc, etc. What the heck are you talking about? Sure we pay a carbon tax and exactly how is it working for all of you now? You all have less money to spend!
Fred Brewer
Reply to @Anne Bérubé: We are talking about global weather and how global changes will affect local weather and in particular the rise in CO2 levels is not the same as in 1940, 1950, 1960 etc. That's what we are talking about.
Lou Bell
Reply to @Anne Bérubé: It's not about what you see when you're looking out your front window . IT'S GLOBAL WEATHER !! Average temps GLOBALLY are warming up. Some people just can't absorb real facts .
Donald Gallant
Reply to @Fred Brewer:
Good grief.
Good grief.
SarahRose Werner
Reply to @Anne Bérubé: Is it? I was born in 1957 in the Greater New York City area. The past several winters we've had in Saint John have been milder than the winters I remember growing up well south of here. They're also milder than the winters I remember from when I first arrived in Saint John 21 years ago.
Donald Gallant
Reply to @SarahRose Werner:
Last year was the worst winter I have ever experienced.
Been here all my life.
Should have left this nimby place long ago.
If you are serious just toss your car Keyes in a nearby stream or lake or ocean.
Walk away. Go off from there.
Last year was the worst winter I have ever experienced.
Been here all my life.
Should have left this nimby place long ago.
If you are serious just toss your car Keyes in a nearby stream or lake or ocean.
Walk away. Go off from there.
Dan Armitage
Relax maybe at this moment were seeing a population control then we will meet these targets 8.5 billion adds up to a lot of Carbon. If the latest new virus keeps moving along we will meet these goals
Anne Bérubé
Reply to @Dan Armitage: The coronavirus was caused by people eating sick animals!!! Nothing to do with climate. No wonder Justin was re-elected...
McKenzie King
In reality it matters little if Canada stops all carbon emissions immediately. Unless China, India and the USA curtail what they are doing, nothing will matter.
Fred Brewer
Reply to @McKenzie King: Right. Let's just pass the buck. It's a great excuse for doing nothing while the planet is dying.
Fred Brewer
Despite federal and provincial government inaction, I am encouraged by the voluntary actions of many large corporations who have pledged to become carbon neutral, or have succeeded in becoming carbon neutral.
Microsoft has declared that it will remove all carbon it has emitted since the company was founded in 1975. In order to do so, it will become CARBON NEGATIVE by 2030.
Look folks, it can be done. It requires corporate goodwill for some, and it will have to be legislated for others. In the meantime we need to be thankful to corporations like Microsoft who are doing this without being forced.
SarahRose Werner
Reply to @Fred Brewer: I'm wary of pledges and targets until I see them become reality. And if Microsoft keeps their promises the way they beta-test their software, well, 'nuf said!
Fred Brewer
Reply to @SarahRose Werner: I am more of an optimist and rather than focus on one specific company (which was just an example), why not be encouraged by the fact that almost 800 corporations have registered their targets with a United Nations backed organization (see link below). I don't think too many companies would risk the bad PR from announcing a target and then doing little or nothing to achieve it.
https://sciencebasedtargets.org/companies-taking-action/
https://sciencebasedtargets.org/companies-taking-action/
Terry Tibbs
Reply to @SarahRose Werner:
I'm wary of climate predictions, pretending to be "hard" science, using the fairy tale language of "maybe" and "could be", with no hard proof whatsoever.
I do believe, that we have collectively been acting like pigs, consuming resources at alarming rates, and that should, at least slow down, if not stop.
But it will be hard, as most of us now have been taught to consume, at an early age, by the TV.
I'm wary of climate predictions, pretending to be "hard" science, using the fairy tale language of "maybe" and "could be", with no hard proof whatsoever.
I do believe, that we have collectively been acting like pigs, consuming resources at alarming rates, and that should, at least slow down, if not stop.
But it will be hard, as most of us now have been taught to consume, at an early age, by the TV.
Nelson Potter
FATHER Of The 2°C Climate Target Admits Number Is Fabricated : ‘Two degrees is not a magical limit; it’s clearly a political goal’
Terry Tibbs
Reply to @Nelson Potter:
Psssst Nelson......... the politicians have weaponized climate change as an excuse to pick our pockets, nothing more, nothing less.
Folks concerned about climate change do not:
Buy and build pipelines to facilitate oil consumption.
Consider tar sands expansion north of Fort Mac.
Encourage immigration from warm countries to cold countries.
*Think* that new heavily polluting industries in NB, or anywhere, is a good idea.
We are all being forced to pay a carbon tax, to combat carbon, where are the results?
Psssst Nelson......... the politicians have weaponized climate change as an excuse to pick our pockets, nothing more, nothing less.
Folks concerned about climate change do not:
Buy and build pipelines to facilitate oil consumption.
Consider tar sands expansion north of Fort Mac.
Encourage immigration from warm countries to cold countries.
*Think* that new heavily polluting industries in NB, or anywhere, is a good idea.
We are all being forced to pay a carbon tax, to combat carbon, where are the results?
Fred Brewer
Reply to @Terry Tibbs: Totally correct. And politicians worldwide have kept this conspiracy from the public by using their Captain Marvel Secret Decoder Rings for all of the their conspiracy communications. What we need is for someone to infiltrate their ranks and expose the corruption. This looks like a job for Maxwell Smart and Agent 99.
Terry Tibbs
Reply to @Fred Brewer:
You do realize "climate science" is "predictive science".
Fine examples of "predictive science" are:
The daily weather report which is wrong more than it is right.
The CBC picking the winner of the last American Election (Hillary Clinton).
Your insurance company guessing on yearly pay-outs and setting their rates.
You do realize "climate science" is "predictive science".
Fine examples of "predictive science" are:
The daily weather report which is wrong more than it is right.
The CBC picking the winner of the last American Election (Hillary Clinton).
Your insurance company guessing on yearly pay-outs and setting their rates.
Nelson Potter
The US government will begin to fund geoengineering research … MIT Technology review
SarahRose Werner
Reply to @Nelson Potter: Oh, yeah, that's brilliant, let's mess with the planet some more in an attempt to fix the messes we've already made.
Colin Seeley
Trying to solve Climate and Weather is analogous to trying to solve “ Rubiks Cube “ .
Unless someone shows you HOW it is unlikely to happen or be repeated.
Plans are useless unless they can be carried out and that won’t happen without big dollars.
All of those quoted above are “ Emitters of Words “ .
Michael Durant
Why are cities always cutting public transportation services if the increasing use of cars and trucks is a problem?
SarahRose Werner
Reply to @Michael durant: Because when your municipal budget is in the red *now*, changes to the climate that might become apparent over a decade or two just don't seem all that urgent.
Paul Bourgoin
If it is not moving and there appears to be stalling then legislate it at the government level. Another question is who legislates the laws ? The Crown or Industry? When Joe Public receives his property taxes there is no bargaining only pay-up. So who is in charge of New Brunswick, the elected officials or industry?
Roland Godin
Question: Does CO contribute to collective disillusionment?...et voilà.
Joe Rootliek
Might as well come out and ban Gasoline then. Put a limit on what the size of a house in Canada will be for heating purposes, to save energy. Carbon tax people with bigger homes? What else are you going to do?
Hit people in the pocket books for doing what they have done for the last 120 years. Drive a car. Heat your home with wood, oil, or electricity. Cook your food with wood, electricity, or propane.
How will they get middle class, lower middle class, to afford these changes. The middle class live from check to check, good luck in getting them to upgrade to solar ( which has its downsides too and lose power over time), wind ( wind turbines do not last forever either).
They are living in dream land.
Kyle Woodman
Reply to @Joe Rootliek: burning wood is a renewable resource unlike fossil fuels.
SarahRose Werner
Reply to @Joe Rootliek: "for doing what they have done for the last 120 years" - Precisely. We've only lived the way we live now for a 120 years or so, if that. (Cars were still rich man's toys in 1900.) We haven't always lived this way, and we can't count on being able to live this way forever.
SarahRose Werner
Reply to @Kyle Woodman: But it still emits carbon dioxide. Burning any organic matter or matter derived from organic matter (coal, gas) emits carbon dioxide.
Paul Bourgoin
Reply to @Kyle Woodman: Better hurry up Hard-Wood is disappearing and will have to be replaced with Black spruce!
Fred Brewer
Reply to @SarahRose Werner: Whether the tree is burned for heat or rots in the woods, the amount of CO2 emitted is the same.
SarahRose Werner
Reply to @Fred Brewer: Wrong. When a tree rots in the woods, a great deal of its carbon remains locked in organic compounds that other plants then incorporate. This is what compost is. Burning - combustion - is the process of combining oxygen with organic carbon to produce heat, water vapour and carbon dioxide. A much smaller portion of organic carbon remains in the ash left behind, but most of the organic carbon becomes carbon dioxide.
Fred Brewer
Reply to @SarahRose Werner: I take exception to your vague term "a great deal" and disagree that a significant amount of carbon is sequestered (locked) for any great length of time from rotting trees.
What is known is that CO2 is released to the atmosphere by rotting trees and they also release methane which is 84 times more potent than CO2 in regards to climate harm. We also know that some of the rotting tree is consumed by termites and bugs who die quickly and decompose thereby releasing the CO2. The plants you speak of typically die each year thus releasing the carbon they sequestered quickly.
What is known is that CO2 is released to the atmosphere by rotting trees and they also release methane which is 84 times more potent than CO2 in regards to climate harm. We also know that some of the rotting tree is consumed by termites and bugs who die quickly and decompose thereby releasing the CO2. The plants you speak of typically die each year thus releasing the carbon they sequestered quickly.
SarahRose Werner
"There is no political will, regardless of the government... the same failure to say, 'This is real, we have to change our behaviours.'" - That's because elected officials want to get re-elected and because there's no will among people in general to make real changes in their behaviour. I don't know anyone who's moved to be within walking distance of their place of work because they don't want to drive a gasoline-powered car and can't afford an electric one. I don't know anyone who's sold their home and bought a smaller, better-insulated one that will use less fuel to heat because they're worried about climate change. People don't want to pay more for gas, oil, electricity, etc. People may say that they want the government to do "something" about climate change, but there's little that the government can do putting pressure on people to make changes they don't want to make.
Ben Haroldson
Reply to @SarahRose Werner: greta grief.
Fred Brewer
Reply to @SarahRose Werner: Hundreds if not thousands of New Brunswickers have taken advantage of rebates and incentives to better insulate their homes and businesses or to install heat pumps. These are measures that are good for the environment and have an actual payback for the homeowner. We need to do more of that. We could encourage the purchase of any fuel efficient vehicles be they ICE, hybrid or electric. That's just a few things the government could do, but there are plenty more good ideas out there.
Kyle Woodman
Reply to @SarahRose Werner: I have chosen to live as efficiently as possible. Small, well insulated house that's cheaper to heat. Short commute to work. Walking distance to shopping. I value my time so living this way allows me a lot of free time and disposable income. Helping the environment is a bonus.
SarahRose Werner
Reply to @Kyle Woodman: Me too. I've actually never owned a car. I choose to live in places where I can get around on foot with an occasional bus ride. As for heat, I do what my mom taught me: put on a sweater when I get cold instead of messing with thermostat.
SarahRose Werner
Reply to @Fred Brewer: All of these things are good things to do. All of them will help slow down climate change to a greater or lesser degree. I'm just saying that to *stop* climate change we need to do things that significant numbers of people aren't likely to be willing to do. Me personally, I don't think "stopping" climate change is a reasonable goal. I think we ought to think in terms of (1) trying to slow it down, and (2) adapting to it.
SarahRose Werner
Reply to @Ben Haroldson: No, just extreme pragmatism.
Fred Brewer
Reply to @SarahRose Werner: I agree with most of what you said but at the same time I am pleased that numerous, large corporations have stepped up to the plate and are doing more than their fair share by setting targets or actually becoming carbon-neutral.
SarahRose Werner
Reply to @Fred Brewer: I'll believe in their targets when they actually meet them.
Fred Brewer
Reply to @SarahRose Werner: Just as a quick example, Sky Media has been carbon neutral ever since 2006. Microsoft's business operations have been carbon neutral since 2012. The list goes on and on. Many states and countries are making excellent progress towards their goals of carbon neutrality. Your skepticism is warranted for the Canadian federal government and for most of the Canadian provinces however.
SarahRose Werner
"'aspirational' and not binding" = written in sand or, as the case may be, water. Kyle Woodman
Lets have more meetings about meetings. That should speed things up.
John Smith
slow walk this scv cmkkl
Miles Haukeness
If NB was serious about reducing climate change, first thing to go would be to ban killing all the ocean life which is the worlds largest carbon sink, sequestering billions of tons of CO2 into limestone every year but only works if the biomass is active.
Marzipan Wylier
Climate change is just being put in our faces nonstop because it's a tax scan by the UN. Just another way that Ottawa is trying to put New Brunswick industry down.
Fred Brewer
Reply to @Marzipan Wylier: I guess your secret decoder ring is working well.
Jake Devries
Reply to @Marzipan Wylier: yes, a wealth distribution scam
Paul Bourgoin
Reply to @Marzipan Wylier: It is not NB industry that is poor on the contrary it is Joe Public whose children are out west making a decent living! not in New Brunswick the poorest province in CANADA!
Marzipan Wylier
Reply to @Paul Bourgoin: And unfortunately we have a premier that is intent on increasing our population to increase the low wage job numbers rather than increase the standard of living for New Brunswickers. What's the point in increasing our population when people born and bread here cannot find employment? I was a huge Higgs supporter until he started on this, which wasn't something he ever ran on.
Fred Brewer
The Higgs government adopted the climateplan and its goals and commitments 14 months ago but Tom MacFarlane, the deputy minister at the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development, acknowledged that his staff have still not put together an energy strategy to guide policy decisions on lower emissions from electricity generation. Mr. McFarlane had this to say:
"That's work that has certainly only been initiated or started and we're trying to put the elements of that work together, but I think as you can appreciate, it's a fairly extensive effort to do such a thing"
So he has had 14 months and the work has only been initiated. Why do I get the feeling that they had only one meeting and then completely forgot about it?
Kyle Woodman
Reply to @Fred Brewer:
Maybe the work got derailed by the new minister's constant new "ideas". It is far more important to have a Turkey hunt and sunday hunting than an energy policy.
Maybe the work got derailed by the new minister's constant new "ideas". It is far more important to have a Turkey hunt and sunday hunting than an energy policy.
Perhaps you would like to ask 82 folks of Saputo in Saint John about that.