Whistling Past the Graveyard

“Whistling past the graveyard.” That is how Eric de Place of the Sightline Institute http://www.sightline.org/ describes BC and Washington’s overreliance on energy exporting projects.

Projects in the planning stage include:

 • Five new coal terminals.

• Two expansions of existing coal terminals.

• Three new oil pipelines.

• Six new natural gas pipelines.

British Columbians take note: eleven of these 16 proposals are in our “green” province.

These ventures will produce 12 times the total amount of CO₂ currently emitted by BC. Please note again, this amount doesn’t include the greenhouse gases that will be produced by mining, processing or transporting these products; this is just the CO₂ emitted by the final user.

Imagine what the total figure that takes in all aspects of our resource based economy would be. Imagine if only half the above projects go through. Imagine then the future of our children.

I know, I know, jobs are important and we need to (pardon the pun)“fuel” our economy but do we really have to bargain away our children’s chances for a sustainable life? Do we really want to leave a legacy of ice free polar regions, smog filled air, polluted water and toxic land?

Global warming, oil spills, poisoned water and contaminated soils caused by resource mismanagement and good old fashioned human error is part of our current reality.  Why are we whistling past the graveyard and continuing to pursue this past of destruction?

And, in case anyone is thinking that there is nothing they can do about it, think again.  Think about it when you drive rather than walk to the store; ask for a plastic bag when you have access to reusable ones; forget to turn off the lights; use banned pesticides; throw batteries in the garbage; have extra long hot showers; use environmentally damaging detergents and bleach; and … the list goes on.

You and I, the end consumer of all our modern conveniences, hold the key to tomorrow’s problems. Change can only happen if we demand it: if we stop and think about what we are buying, how we are living, and what we are throwing away. We can do something about it… we are the only ones.

Read more: Check out Pete McMartin Vancouver Sun