Tuesday, January 21, 2003
The Editor
Calgary Herald
Fax: (403) 235-7379
Politically and technically incorrect
The Alberta government has been trying for months to establish a clear distinction between greenhouse gases and pollution. Tim Olsen has reversed progress and compounded confusion with a single front-page article (Vehicles could face exhaust testing, January 20, A1).
Tim indicates a program proposed by the government to measure vehicle emissions will result in notices to owners of vehicles that "emit a high level of greenhouse gases" and that, "The province would detect greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide".
Sorry Tim. The purpose of the program is to detect pollutants - not the major greenhouse gas. In fact the fine-tuning of vehicle engines is based on assuring complete combustion of the fuel. This actually maximizes the major Kyoto greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, in car exhaust. The production of pollutants such as carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons may, indeed, be reduced. These secondary components of car exhaust, along with nitrous oxide (a Kyoto greenhouse gas by the way - not a particulate as stated in the article), sulphur compounds from fuel impurities and other pollutants are the targets of the testing program - not the major greenhouse gas.
In summary the testing is essentially all about controlling pollution and has almost nothing to do with greenhouse gases. The authorities cited in the article must be cringing from this co-opted collusion.
Yours truly,
Duane Pendergast
cc. (by Canada Post)
The Honorable Lorne Taylor, Alberta Environment Minister
Leah Lawrence, Climate Change Central
Larry Lalonde, SAIT
Robert Hornung, Pembina Institute