Recent claims by Denmark (yes, Denmark, in the news!) has reignited interest in the "ownership" of the Arctic. I notice that I made a blog entry way back in 2007 on this same subject, and not much seems to have changed since then, and certainly nothing for the better.
I still find the whole idea of ownership of the Arctic by anyone wholly repugnant. In these supposedly enlightened days, why is there no major movement to treat the Arctic as international patrimony, like Antarctica, which was declared a zone of joint scientific research as early as 1959, prohibiting military activity, mineral mining and dumping, and supporting international scientific research and the protection of the eco-zone?
Instead, we are arguing over who owns the rights to exploit the potentially vast natural resources of the Arctic region (possibly as much as a quarter of the world's undiscovered energy resources). Stephen Harper has even specified that Canada's claim specifically include the geographic North Pole itself, presumably as a matter of national pride and general tub-thumpingness...
Can we not put our national hubris and economic rapacity behind us for a change (and I am referring here not just to Canada, but to Denmark, Russia, and anyone else who thinks they should have a share of the pie)? Can we not, for once,do the right thing?
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Oil in freefall - the good, the bad and the ugly
As the price of oil continues its freefall (currently $56 a barrel and still falling), a variety of different responses can be heard in different places.
Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland (the major oil producing provinces) are wringing their hands with angst and righteous indignation, although few others have much sympathy for them, especially not for Alberta, which steadfastly refuses to institute a sales tax, and has salted away a puny amount of contingency funds from its many years of fat oil profits.
The federal government has severely downgraded its budget surplus forecasts (again), perhaps belatedly realizing that maybe an economy that lionizes oil almost to the exclusion of all else is not such a good idea after all. Or perhaps not.
One foreign investor after another is cancelling or putting on hold major planned investments in the Alberta oil sands, a mixed blessing to say the least given the environmental profile of the oil sands as a whole, and Canada's abysmal record on climate change initiatives.
Meanwhile, as gas pump prices locally fall below $1/litre, for the first time since I can't remember when (actually, I just checked: it was 2010, although it seems much longer), struggling businesses that rely heavily on transportation and power, especially the manufacturing industries of Ontario and Quebec which have had such a hard time in recent years, are getting a bit of a break, and motorists are relishing the (probably short-lived) breather.
But even this is not an unalloyed good. Apparently, the lower gas prices have already resulted in an increase in sales and orders of relatively gas-guzzling SUVs, which of course has environmentalists upset. And I am sure that the average Joe on the street is much less likely to think twice about taking the car to the local shops when gas prices are 99c/litre and not $1.40/litre.
It never ceases to amaze me how efficiently the open market can work sometimes, although usually not, it seems, in a socially and environmentally responsible direction.
Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland (the major oil producing provinces) are wringing their hands with angst and righteous indignation, although few others have much sympathy for them, especially not for Alberta, which steadfastly refuses to institute a sales tax, and has salted away a puny amount of contingency funds from its many years of fat oil profits.
The federal government has severely downgraded its budget surplus forecasts (again), perhaps belatedly realizing that maybe an economy that lionizes oil almost to the exclusion of all else is not such a good idea after all. Or perhaps not.
One foreign investor after another is cancelling or putting on hold major planned investments in the Alberta oil sands, a mixed blessing to say the least given the environmental profile of the oil sands as a whole, and Canada's abysmal record on climate change initiatives.
Meanwhile, as gas pump prices locally fall below $1/litre, for the first time since I can't remember when (actually, I just checked: it was 2010, although it seems much longer), struggling businesses that rely heavily on transportation and power, especially the manufacturing industries of Ontario and Quebec which have had such a hard time in recent years, are getting a bit of a break, and motorists are relishing the (probably short-lived) breather.
But even this is not an unalloyed good. Apparently, the lower gas prices have already resulted in an increase in sales and orders of relatively gas-guzzling SUVs, which of course has environmentalists upset. And I am sure that the average Joe on the street is much less likely to think twice about taking the car to the local shops when gas prices are 99c/litre and not $1.40/litre.
It never ceases to amaze me how efficiently the open market can work sometimes, although usually not, it seems, in a socially and environmentally responsible direction.
Strange Empire indeed
I am not a big television viewer, and in fact we cancelled our cable/digital subscription some years ago on the grounds that we rarely watched anything (or found anything worthwhile to watch), and certainly not $70/month's worth.
But I do see some TV from time to time, either online or via the free-to-air digital signal afforded us by our DIY rabbit-ears-on-the-chimney arrangement, and I must admit to being quite taken currently with the CBC series Strange Empire.
Set in the wild and lawless west of 19th Century Canada, just north of the Montana border, the "strange empire" of the title is a remote mining outpost and associated whorehouse, and the series follows the struggles, tribulations and rare victories of some of the idiosyncratic individuals, and particularly the women, who chose (or in some cases not) that hard-scrabble, hand-to-mouth life.
It is replete with instances of the moral ambiguity and compromise forced on people by hard circumstances, and it showcases some of the violence, sexism, racism and sheer unadulterated greed that underpinned much of the development of our modern country. But, for me, it is the individual character studies that provide much of the program's appeal, including (but not limited to):
But I do see some TV from time to time, either online or via the free-to-air digital signal afforded us by our DIY rabbit-ears-on-the-chimney arrangement, and I must admit to being quite taken currently with the CBC series Strange Empire.
Set in the wild and lawless west of 19th Century Canada, just north of the Montana border, the "strange empire" of the title is a remote mining outpost and associated whorehouse, and the series follows the struggles, tribulations and rare victories of some of the idiosyncratic individuals, and particularly the women, who chose (or in some cases not) that hard-scrabble, hand-to-mouth life.
It is replete with instances of the moral ambiguity and compromise forced on people by hard circumstances, and it showcases some of the violence, sexism, racism and sheer unadulterated greed that underpinned much of the development of our modern country. But, for me, it is the individual character studies that provide much of the program's appeal, including (but not limited to):
- The young doctor's wife (actually the old English doctor's adopted ward, whom he "married" after his own wife's death as the best way of keeping her safe), who herself takes on the role of doctor after her husband's death. She is fiercely intelligent and committed to the pursuit of science in a milieu where such things are frowned upon and unappreciated. She is also extremely socially awkward and naïve in the ways of the world, and perhaps slightly autistic in a high-functioning way, as well as clearly reigning in, and struggling with, a boiling cauldron of repressed emotion.
- The hard-baked but deeply moral Métis woman, who takes on the thankless but necessary job of law-maker in a lawless community constantly teetering on the edge of chaos and turmoil. She also adopts and ferociously protects two young orphan girls, who were otherwise destined for a life of whoring and worse, and struggles to come to terms with the death of her own beloved husband and soul-mate.
- The two above-mentioned adolescent girls, rough and tomboyish on the outside, but clearly very much young women underneath, with all the desires, frailties and hormonal imbalances that come with that time of life. The seething mixture of resentment, reliance and unconditional love they reveal towards their new "mother" and towards each other is a fascinating study in coming of age in difficult circumstances.
- The quiet and unassuming young buck, who follows the young lady doctor around like a puppy, clearly smitten despite the doctor's (albeit ambiguously) married state, and who actually turns out to be a woman in disguise.
- The beautiful ex-whore, now married to the mine owner, who exhibits a cruel and cynical drive for self-preservation and self-aggrandisement, but whose hard exterior briefly slips from time to time to reveal the confused and needy woman within, so that we are always tantalisingly suspicious of the existence of a hidden good heart, even though she never quite justifies our suspicions.
- The mine owner himself, one of the only male characters developed to any great extent, to all appearances an unreconstructed, smarmy, self-centred and cruel lothario, hell-bent on money-making and dynasty-building. But even he lets slip the occasional pang of regret and doubt, so that we never quite write him off completely.
Tuesday, December 09, 2014
Canada's embrarassing climate change performance
I get a little bored with reporting on climate change developments, and it rarely provides an opportunity for edification or optimism, particularly here in Canada. But these people have to be called out, for what it's worth.
The Canadian government's own environment ministry is admitting in no uncertain terms that the country is falling well short of its own modest greenhouse gas pledge (to reduce GHGs by 17% from 2005 levels by 2020). Stephen Harper's pledge, made in Copenhagen five years ago, was for 611 megatonnes of GHG emissions by 2020. Current projections by Environment Canada suggest emissions of the order of 727 megatonnes are to be expected "unless new measures are taken" (and fat chance there is of THAT under the current government).
My home province of Ontario has managed to offset up to 50 megatonnes of GHGs by closing down its coal-fired power plants and investing in renewables (even if they have attracted much flak in the process), and British Columbia's carbon tax has single-handedly reduced their GHGs by 16% since 2008. The oil and gas sector, however, led of course by the Alberta oil sends, is fuelling a 45 megaton increase in GHGs. It's a sad state of affairs when we are relying on an economic downturn from the nose-diving price of oil as the only way to reduce such an increase.
Meanwhile, lame-duck environment minister Leona Aglukkaq reassures us that there are still six years left in which to meet the targets, to which the government remains committed. The very next day, she blusters: "Our record speaks for itself. We have show that it is possible to protect the environment while supporting economic growth." She is even planning on addressing the upcoming United Nations climate summit in Lima with a view to a post-2020 agreement!
Her boss, Mr. Harper, unapologetically asserts that, if it going to cost money, then the environment just has to wait: "Under the current circumstance of the oil and gas sector, it would be crazy... We are clearly not going to do it". He then attempts to take credit for the progress made in the area of coal-fired electricity generation (actually due to the Ontario government).
Such audacity! Such a disconnect!
The Canadian government's own environment ministry is admitting in no uncertain terms that the country is falling well short of its own modest greenhouse gas pledge (to reduce GHGs by 17% from 2005 levels by 2020). Stephen Harper's pledge, made in Copenhagen five years ago, was for 611 megatonnes of GHG emissions by 2020. Current projections by Environment Canada suggest emissions of the order of 727 megatonnes are to be expected "unless new measures are taken" (and fat chance there is of THAT under the current government).
My home province of Ontario has managed to offset up to 50 megatonnes of GHGs by closing down its coal-fired power plants and investing in renewables (even if they have attracted much flak in the process), and British Columbia's carbon tax has single-handedly reduced their GHGs by 16% since 2008. The oil and gas sector, however, led of course by the Alberta oil sends, is fuelling a 45 megaton increase in GHGs. It's a sad state of affairs when we are relying on an economic downturn from the nose-diving price of oil as the only way to reduce such an increase.
Meanwhile, lame-duck environment minister Leona Aglukkaq reassures us that there are still six years left in which to meet the targets, to which the government remains committed. The very next day, she blusters: "Our record speaks for itself. We have show that it is possible to protect the environment while supporting economic growth." She is even planning on addressing the upcoming United Nations climate summit in Lima with a view to a post-2020 agreement!
Her boss, Mr. Harper, unapologetically asserts that, if it going to cost money, then the environment just has to wait: "Under the current circumstance of the oil and gas sector, it would be crazy... We are clearly not going to do it". He then attempts to take credit for the progress made in the area of coal-fired electricity generation (actually due to the Ontario government).
Such audacity! Such a disconnect!
A position of suspect morality
More dirt surfaces as a result of the ongoing Jian Ghomeshi probe (or maybe that is the wrong word to use in this context?).
The Canadian Media Guild has made the unequivocal statement that: "While we believe firmly the evidence of wrongdoing should be investigated and necessary measures taken as required, no employee should be put in a position of exposing themselves to discipline based on information they themselves have provided".
Unless I'm missing something, this condones lying, dissembling and anything else that might conceivably reflect badly on a person or otherwise inconvenience them. Probably not a very moral position to be taking, I wouldn't have thought.
The Canadian Media Guild has made the unequivocal statement that: "While we believe firmly the evidence of wrongdoing should be investigated and necessary measures taken as required, no employee should be put in a position of exposing themselves to discipline based on information they themselves have provided".
Unless I'm missing something, this condones lying, dissembling and anything else that might conceivably reflect badly on a person or otherwise inconvenience them. Probably not a very moral position to be taking, I wouldn't have thought.
Tuesday, December 02, 2014
My "hobby sites"
I finally got around to updating the list of links to my personal websites in the left-hand side-bar. Just for the sake of an extra plug, here they are again:
- http://www.argumentsforatheism.com/ (Arguments for Atheism)
- http://www.ancient-literature.com/ (Classical Literature)
- http://www.greenmanenigma.com/ (Enigma of the Green Man)
- http://www.thehistoryofenglish.com/ (The History of English)
- http://www.human-memory.net/ (The Human Memory)
- http://www.philosophybasics.com/ (Philosophy: The Basics)
- http://www.physicsoftheuniverse.com/ (Physics of the Universe)
- http://www.storyofmathematics.com/ (The Story of Mathematics)
- http://www.howsleepworks.com/ (Sleep: How Sleep Works)
- http://www.exactlywhatistime.com/ (Exactly What Is Time?)
- http://www.utopianfiction.com/ (Utopian Literature)
- http://www.witchcraftandwitches.com/ (Witchcraft and Witches)
- http://www.rightleftrightwrong.com/ (An Investigation of Handedness)
- http://www.lukemastin.com/ (Luke's Web pages for Less)
- http://www.lukemastin.com/diary/ (Luke's South American Diary 1994-99)
- http://www.lukemastin.com/history/ (History of the World)
- http://www.lukemastin.com/music/ (Music In Perspective)
- http://www.lukemastin.com/poems/ (Youthful Poems)
- http://www.lukemastin.com/testing/hieronymus/ (Hieronymus Bosch)
- http://www.lukemastin.com/testing/definitions/ (Abstruse Verbiage word game)
- http://www.lukemastin.com/testing/spelling/ (Canadian, British and American Spelling)
- http://www.lukemastin.com/testing/awards/ (Literary Awards and Prizes)
- http://www.lukemastin.com/testing/definitions/capitals.html (Capital Cities of the World Quiz)
- http://www.lukemastin.com/testing/phrases (Foreign Phrases Commonly Used in English)
Support for thalidomide victims
The Canadian parliament recently voted to provide "full support" for thalidomide survivors, after a lot of campaigning and agitation in recent months, something that I imagine few people would take issue with. The vote was 256:0, the first unanimous vote in parliament since 2011 apparently (1 wonder what that one was?) The difficult part - establishing the amounts, judging the severity of deformities, etc - still remains of course, but the principle and ethics of the matter have now been well and truly established.
I have to say it took me quite a while to realize just why it has taken so long for this talk of settlements and reparations to crystallize, until it was explained to me that the survivors were only now reaching the kind of age (50 plus) when their bodies were starting to physically break down under the pressure of their deformities. Other than a federal deal reached in 1991 and a few unspecified out-of-court settlements, generally agreed to have been too little and too narrowly focussed, most thalidomide victims seem to have just kept their heads down and got on with life to the best of their abilities, and many have managed to lead full and active lives. (See here for a summary of the Canadian experience of thalidomide and its survivors).
However, after decades of reliance on weak and malformed limbs and the need to improvise in day-to-day tasks the rest of us take for granted, the victims are now experiencing increased physical and mental stress due to the greater wear and tear on their remaining joints and muscles, as well as the premature onset of arthritis and chronic pain, often leading to enforced early retirement and rising healthcare bills.
They deserve a fair and generous payout, as well as a recognition of their suffering.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Margaret Wente barks up the wrong tree (Part 56)
I may as well share the letter I fired off to the Globe and Mail this morning (actually printed the next day):
I can feel my blood pressure start to rise as soon as I start reading any
Margaret Wente columns, especially ones on her pet peeves, renewable energy and
climate change. I don’t know why I still do it; I know what she is going to
say.
Today, in her column entitled “Renewables Aren’t Enough”, she asks “which way is more
likely to succeed”: do what we can, as fast as we can, with currently available
renewable technology, in order to give us more time to come up with a more
comprehensive solution; or do absolutely nothing, and hope that some whizz-bang
scientists from Google come up with a magic invention that works, that we can
afford, that isn’t too late, and that doesn’t make a bunch of other things worse
in the process.
Somehow, Ms. Wente endorses the latter.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
This (probably) changes everything
I'd like to share a few other random snippets from Naomi Klein's thought-provoking new book "This Changes Everything", already touched on in a previous entry.
In the end, Ms. Klein concludes that there is still time to redress the problem of climate change, through an escalation of activism and resistance and what she describes as a "Marshall Plan for the Earth". Indeed, she sees it as an opportunity and a means of rectifying many other festering wrongs and inequalities in the world. But her conclusions are almost lost and overshadowed by the sheer grimness of the analysis and the litany of grievances that precede them.
If I were to cavil, I was perhaps a little disappointed at Ms. Klein's almost complete ignoring of energy conservation as a major and necessary plank in the push for a solution to the global warming problem. But the book remains a welcome addition and an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the issue.
- The greenhouse gas emissions counting system developed in the early 1990s, in preparation for the Kyoto and other subsequent accords, specifically excludes emissions from the transportation of goods across borders, such as container ships. To put this into perspective, there has been a 400% increase in container ship traffic, one of the dirtiest and most hydrocarbon-intensive modes of transportation available, over the last 20 years, with a further doubling or even tripling expected in the next 30-35 years.
- Although the growth in greenhouse gas emissions actually slowed from around 4.5% per year in the 1960s to around 1% per year in the 1990s, it has then increased to around 3.4% per year since 2000, with only a temporary dip during the financial crisis of 2009, followed by a rebound to a record 5.9% growth in 2010. This covers the period since the first international climate change agreements, the period during which we supposedly have actually been aware of the urgency of the issue. However, it also covers the period of the headlong escalation in the globalization of trade, and the emergence of a coal-powered China as the world major trading nation (China alone is responsible for about two-thirds of the growth in emissions).
- After decades of privatization worldwide, in pursuit of the neoliberal agenda of free trade, small government and deregulation, a British poll in November 2013 found 68% of the general public was in favour of re-nationalizing the country's energy system (with 21% coming out against), and 66% favour re-nationalizing the railway companies (with 23% against). Even 52% of Conservative voters supported the re-nationalization of both energy and the railways. Ms. Klein makes the case that the kinds of changes needed to address global warming are not likely to happen naturally in the private sector.
- Given the right political environment, a fossil fuel-free (and even nuclear-free) future may not be as far away as one might think. A 2012 report by the German National Centre for Aerospace, Energy and Transport Research shows how 67% of European electricity could come from renewable sources by as soon as 2030 (and 96% by 2050). A report by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory, also in 2012, indicates that 80% of America's electricity could come from currently available renewable technologies by 2050, and a separate report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows how wind and solar could provide 60% of the US's power by 2030. Meanwhile, a University of Melbourne report purports to demonstrate the practicability of a conversion to 100% renewable energy in Australia in just 10 years. The salient phrase here, though, is "given the right political environment": such drastic changes are not going to be brought about by market forces alone.
- In 2013, in the USA alone, the oil and gas industry spent just under $400,000 a day lobbying Congress and government officials.
- There are an estimated 2,795 gigatons of carbon tied up in the oil, gas and coal reserves currently owned by private and state-owned fuel companies. This is about five times estimates (565 gigatons) of the carbon that can be burned between now and 2050 and still leave a good chance of keeping global warming below the critical level of 2°C, the temperature increase limit established as the best target at the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Summit.
- Just as bitumen production from oil sands has a much higher carbon footprint than that of conventional oil, fracked natural gas is at least 30% higher in emissions than conventional gas, and the procedure leaks methane at every stage in the process (methane is an estimated 34 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide). In fact, gas from fracking, often touted as a plentiful, low-carbon alternative fuel to oil and coal and the ideal "bridging" fuel, may have just as much of a warming impact as coal over an extended life cycle. The other drawback is that cheap natural gas is just as likely to squeeze out potential renewable fuels as it is to replace dirtier fossil fuels.
- The number of rail cars carrying oil in the USA has increased by over 4000% in just five years, from 9,500 in 2008 to about 400,000 in 2013. More oil was spilled in US rail incidents in 2013 than in the previous 40 years combined. In 2012, there were more than 6,000 spills and "other mishaps" at onshore oil and gas sites in the USA.
In the end, Ms. Klein concludes that there is still time to redress the problem of climate change, through an escalation of activism and resistance and what she describes as a "Marshall Plan for the Earth". Indeed, she sees it as an opportunity and a means of rectifying many other festering wrongs and inequalities in the world. But her conclusions are almost lost and overshadowed by the sheer grimness of the analysis and the litany of grievances that precede them.
If I were to cavil, I was perhaps a little disappointed at Ms. Klein's almost complete ignoring of energy conservation as a major and necessary plank in the push for a solution to the global warming problem. But the book remains a welcome addition and an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the issue.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Distracted cinema audiences
Volkswagen recently brought out a ground-breaking new road safety advertising campaign in Hong Kong.
Cinema patrons received a "location-based text message" part-way through an otherwise innocuous car ad, and, while the cinema-goers were checking their phones (and a huge number of them did), the car on the screen crashes, giving everyone a poignant reminder of the dangers of distracted driving. The shocked and confused audience reaction was all recorded for our benefit.
The video of the ad has gone viral, but if you haven't seen it, you can catch it here.
Cinema patrons received a "location-based text message" part-way through an otherwise innocuous car ad, and, while the cinema-goers were checking their phones (and a huge number of them did), the car on the screen crashes, giving everyone a poignant reminder of the dangers of distracted driving. The shocked and confused audience reaction was all recorded for our benefit.
The video of the ad has gone viral, but if you haven't seen it, you can catch it here.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
The right, the left, and global warming
While reading through Naomi Klein's new book "This Changes Everything", I came across some rather interesting statistics on the political views of climate change deniers.
Some 75% of American "Democrats and liberals" believe that climate change is real and caused by humans, compared much smaller percentage of Republicans, as little as 20% in some regions. Similarly, in Canada, 41% of Conservatives believe in anthropocentric global warming, compared to 76% of the leftist New Democrats, and 69% of the more centrist Liberals. Apparently, a similar split exists in Europe.
This is a pretty stark dichotomy, especially given that 97% of climate scientists are convinced of the science (this figure from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, not some radical and biased source). Setting aside the question of what the other 25% of Democrats and liberals can possibly be thinking, these figures suggest that belief in man-made climate change among the general public (as opposed to scientists) is very much a partisan political issue, and not a matter of objective and intellectual truth. A few openly admit this, but the vast majority don't, and indeed don't even seem to be aware of it. Which begs the question of how such a disparity arises.
Ms. Klein's theory, which seems plausible enough, is that Conservatives are not denying the science itself - although they may well claim to be doing so - but they are denying the very possibility of the massive government intervention needed to deal with it, which is so much against their base beliefs as to be almost inconceivable to them. This is almost textbook psychological denial: if such action is deemed to be necessary, then the assumptions on which the question is based must be wrong (the only other alternative being that the market-based conservative system itself is flawed, which is inconceivable).
Interestingly, one would assume that liberals and leftists are also guilt of a psychological bias, of a denial of a different kind, although it is not quite to so obvious how this manifests itself. Maybe this is because right-wingers typically tend to justify the system ("conservatism" in its purest form), while lefties are more likely to question the system, and to be more skeptical of information from corporation and governments. Or maybe it is just because left-wingers, being less likely to fit the conservative mould of wealthy white males, typically have less at stake, less to lose from abandoning, or even tweaking, the system. Who knows?
Another statistic that jumped out at me is the fact that fewer people, whether on the right or the left, are convinced of the correctness of global warming science than previously, falling from 71% in 2007 to 51% in 2009 and 44% in 2011 (these are American figures from a Harris poll). Which, given the continued and increasingly strident warnings from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is kind of scary.
One element behind this trend is that the number of news stories on climate change has shrunk drastically (10-fold!) over the period, which you could argue may be politically motivated, or not, depending on your viewpoint. The other, and probably much more important, element is the million and millions of dollar that have been sunk into the campaign by billionaire conservatives and businessmen, the concerted crusade by the right-wing media outlets, and, perhaps most importantly of all, the effect of the hugely influential right-wing think-tanks like the Heartland Institute, the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, the Ayn Rand Institute, etc, etc. These organizations have put up a spirited, almost desperate, defence of the American right to low taxes, small government and "liberty", which is clearly threatened by climate change and its repercussions.
From these statistics, it has to be said that the right appears to be winning this particular battle in the war. Enough seeds of doubt have been sown, and enough apathy and complacency has been fostered. In the meantime, we are merrily continue on our way over the proverbial cliff.
Some 75% of American "Democrats and liberals" believe that climate change is real and caused by humans, compared much smaller percentage of Republicans, as little as 20% in some regions. Similarly, in Canada, 41% of Conservatives believe in anthropocentric global warming, compared to 76% of the leftist New Democrats, and 69% of the more centrist Liberals. Apparently, a similar split exists in Europe.
This is a pretty stark dichotomy, especially given that 97% of climate scientists are convinced of the science (this figure from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, not some radical and biased source). Setting aside the question of what the other 25% of Democrats and liberals can possibly be thinking, these figures suggest that belief in man-made climate change among the general public (as opposed to scientists) is very much a partisan political issue, and not a matter of objective and intellectual truth. A few openly admit this, but the vast majority don't, and indeed don't even seem to be aware of it. Which begs the question of how such a disparity arises.
Ms. Klein's theory, which seems plausible enough, is that Conservatives are not denying the science itself - although they may well claim to be doing so - but they are denying the very possibility of the massive government intervention needed to deal with it, which is so much against their base beliefs as to be almost inconceivable to them. This is almost textbook psychological denial: if such action is deemed to be necessary, then the assumptions on which the question is based must be wrong (the only other alternative being that the market-based conservative system itself is flawed, which is inconceivable).
Interestingly, one would assume that liberals and leftists are also guilt of a psychological bias, of a denial of a different kind, although it is not quite to so obvious how this manifests itself. Maybe this is because right-wingers typically tend to justify the system ("conservatism" in its purest form), while lefties are more likely to question the system, and to be more skeptical of information from corporation and governments. Or maybe it is just because left-wingers, being less likely to fit the conservative mould of wealthy white males, typically have less at stake, less to lose from abandoning, or even tweaking, the system. Who knows?
Another statistic that jumped out at me is the fact that fewer people, whether on the right or the left, are convinced of the correctness of global warming science than previously, falling from 71% in 2007 to 51% in 2009 and 44% in 2011 (these are American figures from a Harris poll). Which, given the continued and increasingly strident warnings from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is kind of scary.
One element behind this trend is that the number of news stories on climate change has shrunk drastically (10-fold!) over the period, which you could argue may be politically motivated, or not, depending on your viewpoint. The other, and probably much more important, element is the million and millions of dollar that have been sunk into the campaign by billionaire conservatives and businessmen, the concerted crusade by the right-wing media outlets, and, perhaps most importantly of all, the effect of the hugely influential right-wing think-tanks like the Heartland Institute, the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, the Ayn Rand Institute, etc, etc. These organizations have put up a spirited, almost desperate, defence of the American right to low taxes, small government and "liberty", which is clearly threatened by climate change and its repercussions.
From these statistics, it has to be said that the right appears to be winning this particular battle in the war. Enough seeds of doubt have been sown, and enough apathy and complacency has been fostered. In the meantime, we are merrily continue on our way over the proverbial cliff.
Friday, November 14, 2014
When did processes become pross-ess-eez?
When did it become acceptable to pronounce the word processes as PROSS-ESS-EEZ? One hears it all the time nowadays, even from (in fact, especially from) the most educated speakers, especially scientists, economists, politicians, etc. These people would never say RE-CESS-EEZ, PRIN-CESS-EEZ or CON-GRESS-EEZ. HOUS-EEZ, maybe. Why then PROSS-ESS-EEZ?
It appears to be a modern example of Greco-Latinization, similar to the 17th Century penchant for classical language, when a silent “b” was added to the spelling of words like debt and doubt, supposedly out of deference to their Latin roots (debitum and dubitare respectively). In the same way, and with much the same reasoning, around this time island gained its silent “s”, scissors its “c”, anchor, school and herb their “h”, people its “o” and victuals gained both a “c” and a “u”, thus unnecessarily giving English some of its more eccentric and quirky spellings.
Although if challenged I would think that most of the offenders would claim that the -EEZ pronunciation makes the word easier to pronounce, I assume the real (or perhaps subconscious) intention is for people to sound somehow more intellectual or scientific. I find it difficult to believe that their tongues trip over words like compresses and biases.
I don't necessarily consider myself among the language purists (or, in Stephen Pinker's list of synonyms in his excellent book "The Sense of Style": "sticklers, pedants, peevers, snobs, snoots, nit-pickers, traditionalists, language police, usage nannies, grammar Nazis and the Gotcha! Gang"). I understand that language is a fluid and protean entity, and I don't object to the introduction of new words and word usages. But I do object to changes resulting from errors and ignorance.
In the same way as words like alternate, momentarily, and several other much abused words and phrases considered in more detail elsewhere in this blog, have become "acceptable" uses in recent years, PROSS-ESS-EEZ is a practice born of error and should be stamped out.
It appears to be a modern example of Greco-Latinization, similar to the 17th Century penchant for classical language, when a silent “b” was added to the spelling of words like debt and doubt, supposedly out of deference to their Latin roots (debitum and dubitare respectively). In the same way, and with much the same reasoning, around this time island gained its silent “s”, scissors its “c”, anchor, school and herb their “h”, people its “o” and victuals gained both a “c” and a “u”, thus unnecessarily giving English some of its more eccentric and quirky spellings.
Although if challenged I would think that most of the offenders would claim that the -EEZ pronunciation makes the word easier to pronounce, I assume the real (or perhaps subconscious) intention is for people to sound somehow more intellectual or scientific. I find it difficult to believe that their tongues trip over words like compresses and biases.
I don't necessarily consider myself among the language purists (or, in Stephen Pinker's list of synonyms in his excellent book "The Sense of Style": "sticklers, pedants, peevers, snobs, snoots, nit-pickers, traditionalists, language police, usage nannies, grammar Nazis and the Gotcha! Gang"). I understand that language is a fluid and protean entity, and I don't object to the introduction of new words and word usages. But I do object to changes resulting from errors and ignorance.
In the same way as words like alternate, momentarily, and several other much abused words and phrases considered in more detail elsewhere in this blog, have become "acceptable" uses in recent years, PROSS-ESS-EEZ is a practice born of error and should be stamped out.
In my humble opinion that is...
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
A small victory
Barack Obama, despite set-backs in the recent mid-term elections which saw the Republicans regain control of the US Senate, keeps gamely plugging away at the climate change file.
Obama is committing the USA to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 26%-28%, compared with 2005 levels, by 2025. The Republicans, of course, have vowed to reverse the decision, on the grounds that a few of their supporters may become poorer (and global warming is an urban myth anyway...)
This very specific American commitment, involving deeper cuts than heretofore considered, was given in return for a much less specific and altogether less impressive commitment by China, which pledges to ensure that their emissions peak by about 2030 (which could be interpreted as carte blanche for Chine to continue increasing its emissions for the next 15 years).
It remains, however, something of a landmark agreement, because China (now the biggest single emitter of greenhouse gases, representing nearly 30% of world emissions) is finally talking about limiting total carbon emissions and not just carbon intensity. The US and China together produce about 45% of the world's carbon dioxide (see the excellent interactive tool created by the Global Carbon Atlas project), so any pledges they are willing to make are globally significant.
It is also the first step in getting past the spurious line often used by countries like Canada and Australia that there is no point in trying to reduce emissions if other large emitters like China and India are doing nothing.
A small victory perhaps, but a victory nevertheless. And I'm not holding my breath for Stephen Harper to follow suit.
Obama is committing the USA to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 26%-28%, compared with 2005 levels, by 2025. The Republicans, of course, have vowed to reverse the decision, on the grounds that a few of their supporters may become poorer (and global warming is an urban myth anyway...)
This very specific American commitment, involving deeper cuts than heretofore considered, was given in return for a much less specific and altogether less impressive commitment by China, which pledges to ensure that their emissions peak by about 2030 (which could be interpreted as carte blanche for Chine to continue increasing its emissions for the next 15 years).
It remains, however, something of a landmark agreement, because China (now the biggest single emitter of greenhouse gases, representing nearly 30% of world emissions) is finally talking about limiting total carbon emissions and not just carbon intensity. The US and China together produce about 45% of the world's carbon dioxide (see the excellent interactive tool created by the Global Carbon Atlas project), so any pledges they are willing to make are globally significant.
It is also the first step in getting past the spurious line often used by countries like Canada and Australia that there is no point in trying to reduce emissions if other large emitters like China and India are doing nothing.
A small victory perhaps, but a victory nevertheless. And I'm not holding my breath for Stephen Harper to follow suit.
Thursday, November 06, 2014
How are the mighty fallen
When popular CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi was first reported as having been summarily dismissed on allegations of sexual abuse and harassment back on October 26th 2014, my own initial reaction was similar to that of many others I read: the dastardly and reactionary CBC were overreaching themselves once again; a knee-jerk reaction by a prudish and narrow-minded corporation; there's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation; etc, etc.
Of course, as we now know, despite Ghomeshi's outraged response that his "adventurous" sexual practices were wholly consensual and should not be subject to the scrutiny of either his employer or the press, the CBC's reaction may not have been quite as precipitous and knee-jerk as it appeared, and that there may well be much truth in the allegations of non-consensual behaviour amounting to sexual abuse. At least nine women have now come forward with their claims, along with some details of Ghomeshi's agressive and tyrannical management style and the "culture of fear" that pervaded his studio.
While the allegations remain as yet unproven, the affable and convivial man we thought we knew so well is starting to appear in a whole new light. Ghomeshi was the nearest thing the CBC had to a superstar, and his morning program Q was a mainstay of CBC's day. I too was a big fan of his easy-going yet percipient interviewing style, and I had a great deal of respect for his hard-working attitude and for the brand he had developed for himself. Little was I expecting these sordid revelations of a Jekyll-and-Hyde persona, and the whole affair presents a sobering example of how our preconceptions can blind us, however open-minded and perceptive we might think ourselves.
Whatever happens in the CBC's own third-party investigations and the parallel Toronto Police probe into his activities, Ghomeshi's moment in the sun is clearly over, and the apex of his career can only be succeeded by a crashing fall, with scant likelihood of a dignified exit from public life.
As David exclaims in the Bible, after the death of his friend and rival (and possibly homosexual lover) Jonathan: "How are the mighty fallen".
Of course, as we now know, despite Ghomeshi's outraged response that his "adventurous" sexual practices were wholly consensual and should not be subject to the scrutiny of either his employer or the press, the CBC's reaction may not have been quite as precipitous and knee-jerk as it appeared, and that there may well be much truth in the allegations of non-consensual behaviour amounting to sexual abuse. At least nine women have now come forward with their claims, along with some details of Ghomeshi's agressive and tyrannical management style and the "culture of fear" that pervaded his studio.
While the allegations remain as yet unproven, the affable and convivial man we thought we knew so well is starting to appear in a whole new light. Ghomeshi was the nearest thing the CBC had to a superstar, and his morning program Q was a mainstay of CBC's day. I too was a big fan of his easy-going yet percipient interviewing style, and I had a great deal of respect for his hard-working attitude and for the brand he had developed for himself. Little was I expecting these sordid revelations of a Jekyll-and-Hyde persona, and the whole affair presents a sobering example of how our preconceptions can blind us, however open-minded and perceptive we might think ourselves.
Whatever happens in the CBC's own third-party investigations and the parallel Toronto Police probe into his activities, Ghomeshi's moment in the sun is clearly over, and the apex of his career can only be succeeded by a crashing fall, with scant likelihood of a dignified exit from public life.
As David exclaims in the Bible, after the death of his friend and rival (and possibly homosexual lover) Jonathan: "How are the mighty fallen".
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
Kitten Clone
Douglas Coupland's latest book, Kitten Clone: Inside Alcatel-Lucent, is up to his usual high standard, and replete with memorable phrases, striking imagery and interesting takes on everyday life.
It is partly an investigation of one of the most important multinational companies you've probably never heard of. Alcatel-Lucent produces and maintains most of the cables, switches, routers, etc, on which the Internet relies, and it also owns and runs the influential ideas factory Bell Laboratories. But the book is also partly a meditation on the Internet itself (and technology and communications in general), how it has led us to where we are today, and where it may be taking us in the future.
Among the many pithy observations in the book (some of which may benefit from the context of the surrounding text) are the following:
This is a book of journalism, and it is full of thought-provoking research and interesting facts. But, being Douglas Copland (who is, after all, better known as a novelist and artist than as a writer of non-fiction), it is idiosyncratic journalism, whimsical and unconventional and often oblique in its focus.
It is partly an investigation of one of the most important multinational companies you've probably never heard of. Alcatel-Lucent produces and maintains most of the cables, switches, routers, etc, on which the Internet relies, and it also owns and runs the influential ideas factory Bell Laboratories. But the book is also partly a meditation on the Internet itself (and technology and communications in general), how it has led us to where we are today, and where it may be taking us in the future.
Among the many pithy observations in the book (some of which may benefit from the context of the surrounding text) are the following:
"I miss my pre-Internet brain" (a slogan now also available on t-shirts)
"I thought that the Internet was a metaphor for life; now I think life is a metaphor for the Internet"
"Invention happens where and when it happens; you can't force invention into existence"
"You can have information or you can have a life, but you can't have both"
"The zeitgeist of the twenty-first century is that we have a lot of zeit but not much geist"
"Everything is now overdocumented and yet underexperienced at the same time"
"Haven't we all wanted to take a year or two off to digest the technologies we already have"Interspersed with Coupland's own capricious wit and distinctive way with words are typographical pranks such as: the occasional long paragraph of technical gobbledygook rendered in smaller and smaller typeface until it literally falls off the bottom of the page; the word "cloud" randomly scattered and floating cloud-like over part of a page; section breaks marked by <br> (the HTML code for a new line); etc. Olivia Arthur's equally quirky photos also effectively break up the text.
This is a book of journalism, and it is full of thought-provoking research and interesting facts. But, being Douglas Copland (who is, after all, better known as a novelist and artist than as a writer of non-fiction), it is idiosyncratic journalism, whimsical and unconventional and often oblique in its focus.
Tuesday, November 04, 2014
Twitter lacking in #gravitas
I'm not a big fan of Twitter. I was vaguely intrigued by the idea at first, and I am sure that there do exist a great many trenchant and pithy pronouncements, all neatly forged within the restriction of 140 characters. But it soon became clear to me that the idea had been hijacked by a bandwagon of users with very little to say, users for whom 140 characters is more than enough to express their petty and infantile views and thoughts.
I was nevertheless a little taken aback recently when Blaise Campaoré, the long-time president of Burkina Faso, chose to broadcast his resignation in a Twitter post (as reported in the Wall Street Journal and other sources).
One would have thought that such a significant statement might have merited something a little more formal than a tweet, where it must have found itself in company with such pearls of wisdom as "My #cat has been sick again" and "What was #Rihanna thinking this time?".
Call me old-fashioned, but the platform seems completely inappropriate for such a proclamation, and if nothing else shows a certain disrespect for his citizens.
I was nevertheless a little taken aback recently when Blaise Campaoré, the long-time president of Burkina Faso, chose to broadcast his resignation in a Twitter post (as reported in the Wall Street Journal and other sources).
One would have thought that such a significant statement might have merited something a little more formal than a tweet, where it must have found itself in company with such pearls of wisdom as "My #cat has been sick again" and "What was #Rihanna thinking this time?".
Call me old-fashioned, but the platform seems completely inappropriate for such a proclamation, and if nothing else shows a certain disrespect for his citizens.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Toronto's municipal elections: the fallout
The city of Toronto is just recovering from a typically nasty, and atypically long, election campaign. We are still languishing in that dazed-and-confused election hangover state.
And while I have no intention of raking over the coals and revisiting all the issues and personality clashes that have been done to death over the last year or so - suffice to say, in my own humble opinion, we did not get the mayor we deserve, but we avoided the mayor that no city deserves - a recent article in the indispensable Globe and Mail has highlighted one specific issue that I find particularly interesting.
Apparently, 37 out of 38 incumbent counsellors were re-elected, with just 7 new councillors providing some modicum of new blood in council debates (one of which presumably being ex-Mayor Rob Ford, who inexplicably waltzed to a landslide victory in Ward 2 without even trying).
Business as usual or what? Granted, the debate will now be taking place under a less divisive and distracting leadership, or at least one would hope so. But it still begs the question as to what extent voters have actually considered the candidates, what it is that that they represent, and their positions on the various issues.
The dispiriting indications are, however, that an awful lot of people just vote with a knee-jerk reaction, checking the name of perhaps the only candidate they have actually heard of. How else to explain the re-election of demonstrably failed politicians such as Rob Ford, Georgio Mammoliti, et al? As to how to explain such a knee-jerk reaction in spite of the negative press such candidates have garnered throughout their incumbency, I am at a complete loss.
All in all, a poor and somewhat depressing reflection on the value of local democracy.
And while I have no intention of raking over the coals and revisiting all the issues and personality clashes that have been done to death over the last year or so - suffice to say, in my own humble opinion, we did not get the mayor we deserve, but we avoided the mayor that no city deserves - a recent article in the indispensable Globe and Mail has highlighted one specific issue that I find particularly interesting.
Apparently, 37 out of 38 incumbent counsellors were re-elected, with just 7 new councillors providing some modicum of new blood in council debates (one of which presumably being ex-Mayor Rob Ford, who inexplicably waltzed to a landslide victory in Ward 2 without even trying).
Business as usual or what? Granted, the debate will now be taking place under a less divisive and distracting leadership, or at least one would hope so. But it still begs the question as to what extent voters have actually considered the candidates, what it is that that they represent, and their positions on the various issues.
The dispiriting indications are, however, that an awful lot of people just vote with a knee-jerk reaction, checking the name of perhaps the only candidate they have actually heard of. How else to explain the re-election of demonstrably failed politicians such as Rob Ford, Georgio Mammoliti, et al? As to how to explain such a knee-jerk reaction in spite of the negative press such candidates have garnered throughout their incumbency, I am at a complete loss.
All in all, a poor and somewhat depressing reflection on the value of local democracy.
I'm back! Did you miss me?
After some six years of hiatus, I'm thinking I may take up my blog again. Not because I think anyone will read it - that never seemed to be the case, even back in the heyday of the personal blog a few years ago - but more as an exercise in catharsis, a kind of cheap version of therapy. I write for myself, but you are welome to share it.
During my silent years, I have managed to avoid pouring scorn and acrimony on the whole of Rob Ford's mayoralty; Stephen Harper's continued steady erosion of Canadian democracy, environmental integrity and international reputation; wars here, there and seemingly everywhere; and many other matters of local, national and international concern.
But now I'm back, and I plan on contributing my twopenn'orth on issues, both crucial and random, that I come across in the press and in daily life.
I'm sure the world will be a better, and more comprehensible, place for it.
During my silent years, I have managed to avoid pouring scorn and acrimony on the whole of Rob Ford's mayoralty; Stephen Harper's continued steady erosion of Canadian democracy, environmental integrity and international reputation; wars here, there and seemingly everywhere; and many other matters of local, national and international concern.
But now I'm back, and I plan on contributing my twopenn'orth on issues, both crucial and random, that I come across in the press and in daily life.
I'm sure the world will be a better, and more comprehensible, place for it.