Letters and Commentary from 2011
December 14 - Withdrawal from Kyoto of little use now
The Durban round of climate management negotiations fostered rumors Canada might formally withdraw from Kyoto. My letter to the Lethbridge Herald pointed out Canada had missed an opportunity to withdraw before a billion tonnes of excess emissions had been generated and postulated that might not be a wise move now. Shortly after my letter was submitted, Peter Kent, Canada's Environment Minister announced Canada would withdraw. The reason given was that it would allow Canada to avoid penalties for excess emissions under Kyoto. Just how that could be the case at this late date is not easy to understand. Would it not be just as easy to continue Canada's stance from several years ago that we would fail to meet our Kyoto commitment? No doubt there will be heavy analysis of this in coming days, weeks, months and years. I hope Canada is looking for expertise in international law in the Yellow Pages of Philadelphia. (11/12/14)
December 3 - Premier's name muddied by association
Robert Redford's impressions of the oil sands were reported in the Herald in a way which implied our new premier, Allison Redford, might be the originator. I quickly recovered but thought the Herald should be more careful. My letter was published under the above title (11/12/14).
November 28 - Kyoto responsible for Europe's economic woes?
A article on the upcoming Durban round of UN climate meetings, by Benny Peiser, in the Financial Post started me wondering if Kyoto might be affecting Europe's economics. My letter disappeared into a black hole (11/12/14)
August 21 - Waste? It's a national treasure
During my review of the NWMO plans for the disposition of spent nuclear fuel, I opined it would be worth it's weight in gold as a fuel source. In 2005 that worked out to about one trillion dollars for the 70,000 tonnes of used CANDU fuel to be stored there. Today it would be $4 trillion with gold at $1800/ounce. Subsequently Dr. Peter Ottensmeyer has calculated that 40,000 tonnes of used CANDU fuel could produce $36 trillion worth of electricity. Those numbers are consistent. I couldn't help pointing out that used fuel is a valuable future resource in a letter to the Lethbridge Herald. It was published on August 21 under the above title. (11/08/21)
May 26 - Province might want to rethink power policy
There is an ongoing current battle over transmission line development in Alberta. The provincial government is forging ahead to establish major transmission system upgrades at the expense of electricity users. This turns out to be a form of subsidy for intermittent producers, like wind and solar, that do not utilize transmission capacity effectively. Wind energy, in particular is the stated driving force behind transmission line expansion as the Alberta Electric System Operator is required by government decree to make room for all providers of electricity while maintaining a reliable grid. This is a topic I've covered many times in these pages as I suspect the system is being overbuilt to accommodate wind energy. I submitted yet another letter to the Herald on May 20. It was published on May 26 under the above title. (11/08/18)
April 24 - Concerns about a coalition government
Prior to the federal election of 2011, there was little discussion of the climate change issue. However, the prospect of a Liberal, NDP coalition implementing ill considered policy to manage climate change with the help of the Bloc Quebecois was something to be concerned about. My thoughts on the topic were published only in the Temple City Star of Cardston, Alberta. Citizens still need to be vigilant though as the majority Conservative led government's policy on climate change, although somewhat opaque, still sets some very onerous goals which may be unnecessary. (11/08/18)
February 20 - Alarmists efforts could be counterproductive
My letter of January 26 below drew several objections from local advocates of carbon dioxide induced global warming. The alarmist calls have become quite tiresome - to the point they are likely counter to the proponents cause. My closing letter to the Lethbridge Herald suggested such. It was published under the above title. (11/08/18)
January 26 - Time to stop blaming CO2
Stephen McGlenn attended the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP16). He wrote a letter to the Lethbridge Herald attributing all kinds of societal ills to climate change and castigated Canada and Canadians for not doing enough on this front. My letter in response suggested our government representatives should refocus on the basic issue and get the United Nations to do the same. It was published on January 26 under the above title. (11/08/18)