Wallowing Behind the Power Curve

One of the biggest problems for Canada from a Harper government is that he started so late in the game. His Washington neocon idols have already botched everything up on their side and been publicly humiliated by American voters. Still, Stevie seems determined to run the same scams here including undermining the global warming initiative.

Why is this a problem for Harper? One problem is television. We've watched this scam being played out in the states and we know it when we see it. Another problem is that the American people aren't putting up with the global warming denier stalls any longer. The third problem is that US legislators are likely to take serious action on this issue, making Stevie look like a fool with his thumb stuck up his backside.

Here's an idea of what's happening south of the border from the Seattle Post Intelligencer:

"In the coming months, however, the world will hear a lot from Washington about joining the insiders - the Europeans and other industrial countries committed to reducing their emissions of greenhouse gases. The weight of science, economics and politics is pushing the world's biggest emitter in that direction.

"The science will grab headlines in February, when an authoritative U.N. network of 2,000 scientists issues its first detailed update in six years of the state of climate research. It will present "much stronger evidence" that manmade emissions are changing the climate, says chief scientist Rajendra K. Pachauri.

"That's not surprising: The atmosphere's accumulation of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases, spewed skyward by industry, transportation and agriculture, climbed to record levels again last year.

"The economics made news just before the Nairobi conference, when Britain issued a detailed, high-level report making the case that cutting emissions now is much cheaper than suffering extensive global economic damage later from rising seas and other effects of climate change.

"Political pressure built in the United States in September when California imposed state-level reductions on greenhouse gases. But the real shift occurred Nov. 7, when voters put the Democrats, largely in favor of mandatory U.S. caps on emissions, back in power in Congress.

"They have Republican allies on the issue, including Arizona Sen. John McCain, a prospective 2008 presidential candidate. And opinion polls show the U.S. public rallying around the idea of more forceful action on climate change.

"A week after the elections, three new Senate committee chairmen put President Bush on notice that they would push for "caps" legislation. "We urge you to work with us," they said in a letter."

The United States isn't the only greenhouse gas bad boy about to change course. Coal-addicted (and coal rich) Australia is now proposing to begin building a chain of reactors to produce up to 30% of that country's power needs - and that's just for a start.

Memo to Steve: Dick Cheney doesn't have a stranglehold on this issue any more and pretty soon Alberta won't either. Time to get with the programme Steve or get out of the way. You're making Canada look very, very bad.