Tuesday, June 11, 2019

You Can't Say Canada Isn't Trying



With the clock ticking down on climate catastrophe, word is the global energy industry's emissions are rising at the fastest rate in a decade. Burn baby, burn. The main cause - why, it's getting hot - and cold - out there.
Carbon emissions from the global energy industry rose by the fastest rate in almost a decade in 2018 after surprise swings in global temperatures stoked extra demand for fossil fuels. 
BP’s annual global energy report revealed for the first time that fluctuating temperatures are increasing the world’s use of fossil fuels in spite of efforts to tackle the climate crisis. 
The recorded temperature swings – days which are much hotter or colder than normal – helped drive the world’s biggest jump in gas consumption for more than 30 years. 
They also stoked a second consecutive annual increase for coal use, reversing three years of decline earlier this decade.
Spencer Dale, BP’s chief economist, warned that the report reveals “a growing mismatch” between society’s rising demand for climate action and the actual pace of progress.
“At a time when society is increasingly concerned about climate change and the need for action energy demand and emissions are growing at their fastest rate for years,” he said.

Carbon emissions climbed by 2% last year, faster than any year since 2011, because the demand for energy easily oustripped the rapid rollout of renewable energy. 
Two-thirds of the world’s energy demand increase was due to higher demand in China, India and the US which was in part due to stronger industry as well as the “weather effect”. 
This was spurred by an “outsized” energy appetite in the US which recorded the highest number of days with hotter or colder than average days since the 1950s.
So, our rapacious use of fossil fuels since the advent of the Industrial Revolution has brought us to a climate abyss complete with massive temperature swings that increase our demand for fossil fuels for heating and cooling at the very moment we urgently need to slash our greenhouse gas emissions or risk ending human civilization - and worse.

Oh dear.

Well at least Canada is doing its bit to contribute to this mess by working unrelentingly to flood world markets with high carbon, high cost, low value bitumen. Canada, when the world's in a jam, we always come through.

8 comments:

Lorne said...

Yet another feedback loop, Mound.

The Mound of Sound said...


I wonder if governments ought to at least develop enough additional alternative clean energy to offset our increased demand for cooling and heating? That could be the first step in decarbonizing - committing to capping emissions now. No growth. Then a rapid and effective cut in overall emissions.

Wait, who am I kidding?

the salamander said...

.. I've initiated a two pronged effort.. to shame Mainstream Media and OUR Political 'Leaders' - utilizing Facebook and Twitter. Perhaps some 'groupthink' can help refine or drive similar indy efforts. My main thrust includes this goal - To approximate the total number of drilled wells, in Canada - whether active or orphaned or abandoned or 'capped' (and owned, sold off or capped & sealed, verified as sealed by whom) Further, that total number can be defined by province or offshore etc.. ie Alberta or Newfoundland, Saskatchewan, BC, Manitoba, Quebec etc.

Gee I hope that's not 'asking a lot' of our elected 'public servants.. with all those well paid 'ministries' and bureaucrats. A simple guy like me asking if they have 'records' - drill permits - you know, the administrative stuff, the current volumes of gas or oil.. or dates they ceased production. Do I smell an award for curious or intrepid 'journalists' ? Of course I do !!

Now do I sense an opportunity to extract the same data but related to the USA ? Well of course ! We are currently positioned somewhere between 300 and 500 thousand such wells in Alberta alone. I have no idea the scope and scale within the USA.

Now why would we want to know these figures.. and once gathered, begin extracting the related & extended data ?? My guess is WE (citizens of the world) could insist that the current crop of 'public servants' begin a bi-monthly tabulation tracking the VERIFIED SEALING of such wellheads.. or the VERIFIED LEAKAGE VOLUMES of CO2 and Methane and/or other vapours or gases. Now there's an employment opportunity if I ever saw one. Hell.. one could employ hundreds of seniors or teens capable of reading a meter or entering data or tracking a chain of ownership !! We could supply them with blue pickup trucks to get to the well sites and or government and corporate records !

If CO2 & Methane leakage is going to extinctify all of us.. well, shouldn't we all know the how and why ? The WHO ? I fail how we can elect ignorant peons if they don't have those numbers and facts tatooed in their tiny primitive brains..

Back to reality though.. its only through luck and continuous reading via indy media that I know the state of sea lice infestation records in 2017 and 2018 in farmed & wild salmon. I presume the cloak of mystery regarding resourse extraction is far more convoluted or despicable. It has to be part of the JOB DESCRIPTION and Bi-ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW for political hires, appointments or the elected..

This is not satire.. this is REALITY.. conform or we fire you.. or even investigate you.. charge you. Forget your paycheque, abandon that gold plated pension.. or do the job you applied for

The Mound of Sound said...


I wish you luck, Sal. Please share what you find. If you read the next post you'll see why I'm a bit pessimistic. Our generations (boomers to millennials) don't seem to have much interest in throwing out these bums.

Anonymous said...

All the talk from the Liberals at the moment around plastics. While that is important...it doesn't address Climate Emergency. Anyong

the salamander said...

.. i don't expect 'we'll throw the bums out' Mound. I want political animals to understand THE JOB DESCRIPTION & THE JOB REQUIREMENTS. We need accountability to accomplish the PERFORMANC REVIEW. IT won't be changed in a day.. or an election. But right now its some kind of game to them. So we will also have to somehow implement the housecleaning.. ensure we 'have the hammer' - that we can fire them - without complication or obstruction or deceit or even needing an election to fire them. Media will have to conform at the same time.. or even earlier

The Mound of Sound said...


I don't want to rain on your picnic but we're running out of time. We have the warnings but we'll not take them seriously enough to meet our responsibilities. There's no prize for 'close' even if we had any intention of being close.

Anonymous said...

I am older than a baby boomer and I know the right way to go regarding the world's Climate Emergency and it isn't what is happening at the moment especially in Alberta. Anyong