Federal environment minister joins the real world

When I worked in the oil industry many years ago, we used to refer to those politicians, academics, media people, etc. who didn't fully appreciate our interests as not living in the real world. The real world was of course our world, the world of industry. Ironically, now many people in the oil industry and their political acolytes are not living in the real world.

The real "real world" is of course the world as described by science. And science is telling us this world is being warmed up by human activity and if we don't stop doing it rather quickly, we will reach the point where the warming will be out of our control. And if that should happen, civilization as we know it is likely to succumb to catastrophe and collapse.

you don’t have to convince me that climate change is a very real and present danger and I think that we need to address it. We need to address it by bringing the rest of the world on board to do something about it.

Read more: http://www.canada.com/Hurricane+Sandy+another+sign+danger+global+warming+Peter+Kent+says/7572645/story.html#ixzz2CnLdnlIU

Much of the oil industry and its boosters in the federal cabinet have been averse to this reality. Now, to my relief, federal Environment Minister Peter Kent has decided to at least recognize it. Discussing the devastation of Hurricane Sandy recently, he observed, "You don't have to convince me that climate change is a very real and present danger and we need to address it." I had to read that quote a dozen times and check other sources before I believed it, but he does indeed seem to have made precisely that statement.

He went on to say, and I hope he wasn't switching to comic mode, that we would have to address it by, "bringing the rest of the world on board to do something about it." A bit rich for a government that has created an international reputation for this country as an environmental slacker, but encouraging at least in entertaining the possibility of leadership.

We need to address it by bringing the rest of the world on board to do something about it.”

Read more: http://www.canada.com/Hurricane+Sandy+another+sign+danger+global+warming+Peter+Kent+says/7572645/story.html#ixzz2CnNFHsU6

So will the Conservatives abandon their commitment to eternal growth and boundless production of dirty oil? Highly unlikely I think. They may have recognized the real world, however I doubt they are yet ready to live in it. But I won't quibble—recognition alone is progress. Let us be optimistic as we welcome Mr. Kent to the 21st century.

Read more: http://www.canada.com/Hurricane+Sandy+another+sign+danger+global+warming+Peter+Kent+says/7572645/story.html#ixzz2CnLdnlIU

you don’t have to convince me that climate change is a very real and present danger and I think that we need to address it. We need to address it by bringing the rest of the world on board to do something about it.

Read more: http://www.canada.com/Hurricane+Sandy+another+sign+danger+global+warming+Peter+Kent+says/7572645/story.html#ixzz2CnLdnlIU

Read more: http://www.canada.com/Hurricane+Sandy+another+sign+danger+global+warming+Peter+Kent+says/7572645/story.html#ixzz2CnLdnlIU

you don’t have to convince me that climate change is a very real and present danger and I think that we need to address it. We need to address it by bringing the rest of the world on board to do something about it.

Read more: http://www.canada.com/Hurricane+Sandy+another+sign+danger+global+warming+Peter+Kent+says/7572645/story.html#ixzz2CnLdnlIU

Read more: http://www.canada.com/Hurricane+Sandy+another+sign+danger+global+warming+Peter+Kent+says/7572645/story.html#ixzz2CnLdnlIU

Read more: http://www.canada.com/Hurricane+Sandy+another+sign+danger+global+warming+Peter+Kent+says/7572645/story.html#ixzz2CnLdnlIU

you don’t have to convince me that climate change is a very real and present danger and I think that we need to address it. We need to address it by bringing the rest of the world on board to do something about it.

Read more: http://www.canada.com/Hurricane+Sandy+another+sign+danger+global+warming+Peter+Kent+says/7572645/story.html#ixzz2CnLdnlIU