Today’s top story has been in the news for a while now. But an interesting mix of stories make for a thought-provoking package.
Sunday’s Washington Post included an article on the region’s climate-action heroes, California’s Arnold Schwarzenegger and B.C.’s Gordon Campbell, both of whom are right-of-center politicians. Campbell’s story is especially interesting. Conservationists battled him endlessly during his first term as premier on a number of environmental policies.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Schwarzenegger will travel to Vancouver and across Canada in May touting a new green partnership. “There are sexier places,” an Arnold aide told the Chronicle. “But there is a ton of money involved—and we absolutely have to go.” Perhaps they’d rather go to Vegas?
And speaking of the political climate, 180 cities in New Hampshire are mounting a grassroots campaign, voting on a resolution asking the federal government to take action on climate change. The idea is to pressure presidential candidates campaigning there to make the issue a top priority in the 2008 election, the New York Times reports.
Pamela
Its strange that the media reports environmentalists being “stunned” by the Premier’s throne speech promises. I’d say it was more hesitant and cautious optimism. Most major environmental organizations and interest groups (down to local levels), of which I network and work with many aren’t ready to give the government a pat on the back. Especially since the government is not putting money where their mouth is. Imbedded in the fine print is the fact that the BC government expects to meet a good 50% of its GHG cutting promises by using existing carbon sinks (wetlands, farmland, forests and rivers). The problem is we are paving over our farmland, infilling and draining our wetlands, continuing to push our waterways to the point of no return and of course drooling over the unsustainable rates of forest harvest. I expect the premier didn’t factor in the amount of forests we have and will continue to lose to mountain pine beetle, nor the long-term implications that catastrophe will have on associated watersheds. Pacific green bloc, more like a political fantasy of pre-election promises (I’d say when Hell freezes over but its going to get toohot for that)!Pamela ZevitCoquitlam BC. 604-939-0523″We could solve all the world’s energy problems by inventing an engine that runs on the power of denial.” Lionel Orford
Jan
Call me cynical, but I think Gordy was totally disingenuous when he made the Throne Speech.A little-known agreement between BC and Alberta states that there shall be no impediments to trade, investment, or labour mobility. It says environmental regulations are exempt, but later says that all such exemptions must be proven to have the minimum impact on trade, investment, or labour mobility. How in the hell do you do that? I’ll bet any company that thinks the Throne Speech is going to reduce their cut of some pie already has its lawyers on overtime!Again, call me cynical, but I think Gordy made those promises knowing full well that they would never happen.
Kristin Kolb
Thanks for this. You raise very important points that, unfortunately, the mainstream media gloss over.Earlier this week, The Tyee published a good summary of Gordo’s words versus the bottom line of the budget. It was very informative to me, reading the coverage from south of the border.