by Steve Perkins Decades ago man was told to ease off on greenhouse gas emissions. Our response to that was to ramp up production. Well, here we are trying to put out a fire while adding more fuel.
Our not so prime minister was recently in Norman Wells, Northwest Territories, making an exciting announcement of the new Naats’ihch’oh National Park Reserve. He woefully neglected to mention a portion in the middle of the park is being set aside to allow for mineral extraction. Then, he espoused the economic benefits of the Northern Gateway Pipeline proposal, all while standing at a podium near the water’s edge while large chunks of ice floated by. The man has a diabolical sense of humour.
A global temperature increase of two degrees Celsius would lead to more frequent droughts and heat waves, cause greater rainfall and possibly change the strength of storms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Earth System Research Laboratory. Many scientists believe the real number is one degree. Over the past 100 years, the temperature has risen just under 0.8° Celsius. The atmospheric storage capacity for carbon dioxide is down to 565 gigatons. According to Bill McKibben’s article “The Reckoning,” in Rolling Stone, issue 1162, based on today’s annual output of 37.5 gigatons we would reach capacity in 16 years. The reality is that the annual output numbers will continually increase meaning a more likelihood of capacity within a decade or less.
Energy corporations are currently sitting on reserves that contain 2,795 gigatons of available carbon. That is five times the amount of carbon that would completely fill the earth’s atmosphere. Exxon Mobil Corporation chairman, president and CEO Rex Tillerson plans on spending $37 billion a year through 2016 looking for more reserves. Tillerson is a human being with a family. Surely he would like to see his grandchildren live as long as he has. So why is he comfortable destroying the planet?
Then I learned about the Bilderberg society through watching OLN Television Network’s Conspiracy Theories with host Jesse Ventura. He suggests this is a secretive society of the world’s most powerful, wealthy elitists that has plans to survive in bunkers after life above ground becomes unbearable. Ventura shows work taking place 25 miles south of Denver, Colorado, International Airport as an example of one of the largest bunkers being constructed. We average citizens will struggle for survival on the earth’s surface while they luxuriate off the backs of the vast majority of society. This is a most unfortunate scenario.
Most people would still desire to have faith in mankind. With so much blatant disregard for humanity in general, it becomes apparent that it will be impossible to do so. Thus, we will have entered the next chapter.
Steve Perkins has been a Texada Island resident since 2005. He is a firm believer that all human beings are equal, regardless of gender, race or status.
