Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Loonie trumps Environment - Updated

(Update at end)

In spite of all the histrionics emanating from Bali last week, the issue of the Environment didn't even make CTV's Top Ten Canadian Stories.

More bad news for the Kyoto Kult - The Looney was Number One.

Reality bites, huh?


* * * *

Related
: Lorne Gunter - For Kyoto's Champions, the meetings never end:

...Achievement means little to the UN's climate crusaders. It's the appearance of activity that counts. Keep moving, keep meeting, keep the shrimp toast and single malts coming, and the need actually to accomplish some tangible environmental outcome becomes inconsequential.

The Kyoto process is the ultimate triumph of symbolism over substance.

Consider the reception for Kevin Rudd, the new Australian prime minister. He wins power on the eve of the Bali conference and announces his first act as PM will be to sign the Kyoto accord and agree to deep emissions cuts --perhaps as much as 60% by 2020. He then flies off to the Indonesia resort where the 15,000 delegates and hangers-on welcome him as a conquering hero.

But three days into the UN gathering, Australia's electricity commission tells the new prime minister that his government's proposals will lead to a rise in electrical bills of at least 30%, perhaps more. Such an increase would almost surely stunt Australia's booming economy. So Mr. Rudd backs down. He announces his country will not agree to immediate cuts, but rather now favours cuts of 50-60% by 2050.


These are the same levels and deadline that have been advocated by Canada's Conservative government for more than a year. But because our Tories refuse to pay homage to Kyoto as the be-all and end-all of environmental compassion, they are vilified by delegates while the Rudd government is celebrated. Symbolism over substance...

One of Lorne's best columns, IMHO.


Also see Grey Canada - Emissions by country.


* * * *

Tuesday Update
: Remember Austyn, our resident Political Prodigy?

Well it seems that last night he and his Dad were discussing BCer in Toronto's post - CTV omits global warming/environment from top stories list.

His Dad sent me this email:

Hi Joanne,

I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm pretty sure that you remember my very smart son Austyn.

He was reading over my shoulder as I was going through my regular reads of blogs on the internet. As I was scrolling through liblogs he got me to go back to BCer's. He wanted to read it and after we read it and the comments he asked me if I noticed anything.

Austyn's point was someone that is so concerned that the environment/global warming was not in the top ten of Canadian news stories, but still flies all over to re qualify for Aeroplan Elite status, obviously is not actually concerned about global warming...

I see a future Blogging Tory in the making. Well done, Austyn!


41 comments:

Greg said...

Um, did you consider that what CTV considers important and what the voters think, might be two different things?

Anonymous said...

we in Ontario know all about what it means to go through all kinds of motions, hold all kinds of press conferences and do absolutely nothing.....it's call the McGuinty Liberal Government.

Wait for another six months and environment will have moved off the radar only to return 20 years later..it's all cyclical.The pendulum will swing again.

I'm a climate change denier AND a fossil and proud of it.

Wait for it folks....[enter lemming here]

Anonymous said...

With very few exceptions Greg most Canadians are either shoveling snow or paying someone to move it for them today....Global Warming and Bali really arent on the radar...or is it Climate Change now? I cant wait for spring and someone to claim that the reason the snow is melting is because of Climate Change. Poor Mr Dion...some people are just cursed with wrong place/ wrong time.

Platty said...

Um, did you consider that what CTV considers important and what the voters think, might be two different things?


Um, did you consider that CTV takes into account what the voters/Canadians think are important stories when they ranked the top ten?

Anonymous said...

"um"

The environment, and especially the current government's do nothing attitude, is now a "dog bites man" story. [Cue the smirking partisans, I'm sure you can make that a "Kyoto bites Dion" joke somehow].

Why would anyone expect it to be a "top news story"?

"And in breaking news on CTV, the federal government continues to dissemble, posture and sneer at the opposition, but otherwise do nothing on the environment."

No. Not a story.

On the other hand, the public knew nothing about the loonie's rise so it was a phenomenon, and would top the news every day it went higher, especially when it went further into "uncharted territory". I recall news shows would always lead into loonie stories playing music that was popular when the loonie was last at that level. It was brutal when it it was in the same ranges as in the late 70s and every 10 minutes I would suffer through a few seconds of disco music!

Swift said...

I think the next climate conference should be held in February. The place, Baffin Bay. Just think of the wonderful scenery, ocean backed by mountains still covered with those disappearing glaciers. Long nights for relaxing after the hard work of the day in the open air meetings. I'm sure the local residents could erect enough igloos to house all the delegates. What's that? You say the Goracle has already confirmed a series of appearances for six figures each. Dr. Fruitfly has an important experiment studying the effects of global warming on the sex life of fruit flies that he can't interrupt. Stephie won't be there because Canadians want an election because the Conservatives aren't doing enough to save the world from global warming. I guess they don't really care.

paulsstuff said...

Breaking News Flash:

Rumors are now circulating that it was not Stephane Dion that named his dog Kyoto, but rather an un-named CBC journalist. CBC has issued a release saying this was against policies and practices and the matter is being investigated.

In unrelated news, Pablo Rodriguez, who has been missing since the news broke of CBC writing his questions for the ethics committee, was found safe this morning in a Quebec hotel room with the transgender ex-NDP candidate. Pablo was heard to ask, if you kiss a guy, but thought it was a girl, are you still gay?

Sorry Joanne. Just started holidays and have a little too much time on my hands:0)

KURSK said...

I had to laugh the other day, when listening to AM 640 radio in Toronto..a gentleman called in to say that David Suzuki had appeared at his school in 1975 and made the pronouncement that if we didn't curtail our oil use, we would run out of it in 1990!!

I also remember when in school, scientists (the exact same ones schilling for global warming..) telling us we were heading into the next ice age..

Kyoto is a fraud, Dion is a fraud, Gore is a liar and a fraud..the list is endless..and liberal supporter, what will the left says when Canada actually reduces greenhouse gasses under their conservative plans?

Even 1% difference is still better than the rise of 23% plus under the liberals.This, when they had ten years and two consecutive majorities.

They just didn't get it done.


I wonder how the Australian people feel now, that Rudd was a big liar, and used Kyoto to gain power?

If you believe in Kyoto, you support criminals and social engineers and i don't have time for any of you..

Anonymous said...

platty and Joanne..I wouldn't base too much importance on CTV polls.I go to CTV.ca to get a glimpse of bad reporting compared to info that is really available.
Their polls are silly for the most part.

Anonymous said...

From the Gunter column:
"Achievement means little to the UN's climate crusaders. It's the appearance of activity that counts. Keep moving, keep meeting, keep the shrimp toast and single malts coming, and the need actually to accomplish some tangible environmental outcome becomes inconsequential."

Absolutely right!

I've often wondered why all the enviro-activists travel to far flung places to hold up index fingers painted green to show their commitment to the "cause" when they could be getting those lovely fingers dirty digging wells, building streets, sewers, clinics, modest housing for all the underprivileged citizens of the world, whose cause they claim to champion.

“The communication is in the work and words are no substitute for this.” Mary Martin

“Talking isn't doing. It is a kind of good deed to say well; and yet words are not deeds.” William Shakespeare

“Res, non verba” Latin proverb.

Anonymous said...

Kyoto is a fraud, Dion is a fraud, Gore is a liar and a fraud..the list is endless..

Thus spake kursk from the right side of his mouth.


and liberal supporter, what will the left says when Canada actually reduces greenhouse gasses under their conservative plans?

Thus spake kursk from the left side of his mouth.

Why will the CPC plans do this, if all this is a fraud?

Even 1% difference is still better than the rise of 23% plus under the liberals.This, when they had ten years and two consecutive majorities.

They just didn't get it done.


Thus spake kursk from the left side of his mouth.

Why do they want to do 1% when it is all a fraud?

If the Liberals didn't get it done, where's the problem if it is all a fraud?

If you believe in Kyoto, you support criminals and social engineers and i don't have time for any of you..

Thus spake kursk from the right side of his mouth.


Which way is the wind blowing today, weathervane kursk?

Anonymous said...

TangoJuliette sez:

Helll-loe Joanne!

Couple of comments here for consideration.

Many environmental groups seemed to have sprung up with youth and money aplenty to travel round the world to decry Canada [Ottawa / Harper And the Conservatives] for what seems to be viewed as a "do-nothing" stance on global warming.

When Canada last hosted this conference in Montreal in Dec 2005, I think, Dion was the Head Cheese at this affair -- which, incidentally cost Cdn taxpayers over forty million dollars to host. Martin raced back and forth across the country campaingning a doing photo-ops with Dick Clinton.

Of the indivduals and groups that have travelled to Bali, and earlier, to Germany and Africa, to embarass our nation by embarassing our elected government, Harper, Baird Ambrose etc, etc. -- how many of these people and groups were present in Montreal protesting Martin and Dion in 2005?

Martin and Dion, you remember them -- the Liberal Gov't. of the day had that done nothing for ten or so years, and had cranked our GHG emissions more than 36% above and beyond their "signed on" reductions.

If the "environmentalists weren't protesting in Montreal in 2005, but now travel far and wide to protest today, sounds more like they're a political movement, a branch of the liberal party of Canada.

This includes some of the dimbulb "environmentalists" I see slagging the Conservatives now, on CBC TV and on CTV. Those sycophantic AlSuzuki DaveGore acolytes.

My feelings are that if the environmentalists are active now but were cozily silent with the Libs in 2005 on Dion's abysmal Kyoto record, maybe there should be a re-evaluation of tax deductible charitable status for some of thes more flaky outfits.

food for thought,

tj

t.e.&o.e.

Swift said...

New Year's Eve is coming in two weeks. Time to ring out the old and ring in the new. AGW RIP.

KURSK said...

Liberal supporter.. aren't you the clever little Fisker..

Listen to what i say out the centre of my mouth, straight to your little ear..

Kyoto is a fraud.I really don't care if you believe in it, because that one would make you just one more deluded fool amongst many..however, you are a liberal and that is just par for the course, it is after all a mental disease and there is no cure.

Where were you with all your Cowardesque wit when we ratified Kyoto? The liberals promptly forgot/neglected/lied (take your pick..)about the consequences for the next ten years.

The world is ending! lets do nothing! Talk about speaking out of both sides of your mouth!

GHG's exist, Canada produces a grand total of 2% GWT of them.Yet, we rose in % emissions after signing that sacred text, a total of 23%, whilst the U.S., who did not, actually cut their emissions..funny that..

The problem ,LS, lays not in the fact that there is a problem to be addressed, but in the scare mongering and profiteering by the likes of Al gore and Mo Strong.

Again, are you prepared to sacrifice your standard of living on a lie? Why does this suddenly take on greater signifigance now that the conservatives are in power? Was 10 years and two majorities not enough?

Please.We would like to know..where were all of you ten years ago? I don't remember hearing all the mewling and crying from your type back then.

Perhaps your heroes knew it was a ponzi scheme, and they would never get called on it..

Once again, lets say we play this game, and under our new( conservative) rules we reduce our emissions just 1%..that would still be more than the liberals did TOTAL since Kyoto..

Who are the fools LS, the liars like Jean c, or Paul Martin, or citoyen Dion who thought we mere peons in Canada would buy their bullshit in perpetuity? ...or you, so partisanly following your comrades over the climate cliff?

Greg said...

Don't believe me? How about this poll then?

http://tinyurl.com/2vxzh9

Environment number one concern.

Anonymous said...

"Environment number one concern."

Aw Greg - Tell me = how did the pollsters frame the question?

Something like - of these three, which is your number one concern

1. The environment?
2. Martians landing on earth
3. Al Gore and Michael Moore making a movie together?

Anonymous said...

Free puppies!!

Kyoto's a dad!

Does this mean the conservatives had it right? That Kyoto Jr. will be the legacy and not the original Kyoto?

Funny.

Jeff said...

you have chastised voters in ontario for allowing the media to choose their premier. now, for whatever partisan reasons you may have, you delight in telling folks that climate change isn't an issue for canadians because CTV doesn't think so?

come on. blogging tory types moan about media bias, influence etc on a daily basis. it is beyond hypocritical to point to CTV's vision of canada and then suggest that they're on to something because it suits your purposes.

Jeff said...

I'm just glad to know people read that closely Joanne. Usually they just determine the topic, drop their talking points and move on...

Burton, Formerly Kingston said...

Greg, the poll question I want to see is this one, How much of your disposal income are you will to sacrifice due to higher cost of living to battle GW. 0-1000 dollars, 1001-2000 dollars and or 2000+dollars. When I see the results on that one, Then I will know how serious Canadians are about this subject until then,, Talk is cheap. There are a lot various things that I think we should take action on but I can honestly tell you that the political will is not there because the popular will is not there. Hell a politician could stand up and say I think we should end world poverty so therefore there is a new 1000 dollar surtax that will go to feed the hungry in the world, how much support you think that guy would get come the first income tax period. yup,, nil

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Usually they just determine the topic, drop their talking points and move on..

That's true. Drives me crazy when they don't read what you've taken the time to put together. You can tell the guilty ones by the context of their comments.

Those people generally have short attention spans and little patience for long posts (which I try to avoid).

Anonymous said...

TangoJuliette sez:

One has darker hair. The other has hair the color of a vapid platinum blonde, sort of. Both have scruffy whiskers. Both are arrogant and humoungously self-centered and over-filled with an artificially-inflated sense of self-worth.

So, is it just me or has anyone else noticed the similarity. Are these two not, in fact, vivid examples of creatures separated at birth?

Of course you realize that I am speaking of Liberal Party of Canada M.P., Pablo Rodriguez, and his identical twin, that little shaggy yapping dog on the Sharapova commercial for some digital camera.

I mean, seriously. Isn't the resemblance, frighteningly uncanny? They both have that unique little accent. They both have that whining, and nasal sniveling tone of voice. And, don't they both just too arrogantly sound like they think that they rule the world?

And you know what else they have in common? Somebody else writes their stuff. . .

Definitely, Separated at Birth!

tj


t.e.&.o.e

Anonymous said...

Kingston, the only problem with your question is that one should compare the response with the same question on other issues.
How much of your disposable income are you willing to sacrifice to battle the Taliban?
How much of your disposable income are you willing to sacrifice to stop buying goods from Communist China?
How much of your disposable income are you willing to sacrifice to stop buying oil from terrorist supporting Arab countries?

Nobody ever voluntarily agrees with higher taxes for anything. You always feel that by agreeing, you are "leaving money on the table", and they take even more.

Also, if the question is phrased "sacrifice", few will go along without being pushed. We know how to do this for wartime, with victory bonds, rallies and other war drives. Even then, it is usually "short term pain for long term gain".

If we did a poll asking how much people wanted to sacrifice, we would not have unleaded gas or emissions standards on cars, we would still have widespread use of CFCs, and we might be living under a communist, fascist or theocratic dictatorship.

Burton, Formerly Kingston said...

OK LS, Lets change the question to read How much are you willing to contribute thru higher taxes to contribute to global warmer.

Anonymous said...

I'm willing to give up one percentage point of GST.

That may not be exactly answering your question, because the tax change affects everyone, so of course it sounds like the "commie" idea of advocating things that others pay for, not just oneself.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Joanne! The "political prodigy" here. Nice edit! I may not be a prodigy anytime soon, but I am thinking about writing a (second?) book on my views on the whole environment type thing. What I'm most disappointed about, is my new teacher (Al Gore Jr.?). He said "I don't care what you think or what you believe, you better listen, because this is happening to you!" Well, I don't have the heart to show him the deciphering of Al Gore's lies. He follows that movie like the bible. Might I mention that the article (done by Nobel rejector, Christopher Monkton) Is the most read?
-Austyn

paulsstuff said...

"The environment, and especially the current government's do nothing attitude, is now a "dog bites man" story. [Cue the smirking partisans, I'm sure you can make that a "Kyoto bites Dion" joke somehow].

Why would anyone expect it to be a "top news story"?"

That's funny. Dion has been running around since the leadership convention telling everyone he has gotten Kyoto at the top of the list for things Canadian's are worried about. Something about being a "hero" and the best opposition leader in history. Turns out even a Liberal Supporter thinks he's wrong.


"I'm willing to give up one percentage point of GST."

Ya, riiiiight! Dion wants to use the funds from the gst cut to pay for the Liberal National Daycare plan. And I thought carbon-credits are the way he says we should be going to pay for ghg reductions.

Not too mention in Quebec the provincial government already used the cap room from the gst cut to increase their revenues to spend on things like infrastructure. And wasn't it the Liberal's who whined about a supposed Conservative tax increase to pay for some new programs?

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Hey Austyn! Nice to hear from you. It must be tough going to school these days with all this enviro-fear mongering going on.

I'm interested in the link you're talking about but it's not working. Maybe you can provide the URL itself, and then we'll try that?

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Odd that it isn't working...
Here is the URL:
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/monckton/goreerrors.html

Sorry! I hope this works!
-Austyn

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Thanks, Austyn. I'll try setting up a link here, since the URL may be cut off.

Looks like a great site. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Turns out even a Liberal Supporter thinks he's wrong.

No, you're putting words in my mouth. Take 'em back please! Something being at the top of what Canadians worry about doesn't make it news, especially when the present government does nothing.

It just sounds like the old Saturday Night Live Weekend Update, when Chevy Chase would report "Spanish dictator Francisco Franco is still dead". That was satire, they actually call something "news" when it is "new". Something we didn't know.


Not too mention in Quebec the provincial government already used the cap room from the gst cut to increase their revenues to spend on things like infrastructure.

Yes, there's plenty of poisoning going on. Standard "right wing" routine is to cut taxes to the point where we run deficits, then cut spending "because we have no money". That's the rhetoric at least. There's always money to spend on your "priorities". Any attempt to spend on something other than your priorities is greeted with "what important activity shall we not do to pay for your programme?". While spending on your priorities is always saving the children, or saving jobs, or saving something, hyped up and overdramatized so you have to be an axe murderer to be against it.

However, the question was what would I spend, and I answered. Sneer away if you like. You guys are so much on the wrong side of this issue and you haven't figured a way out.

Möbius said...

"And in breaking news on CTV, the federal government continues to dissemble, posture and sneer at the opposition, but otherwise do nothing on the environment."

No. Not a story.


Just as true during JC's reign, as it is now.

Feeling ironic, and perhaps a bit cynical, driving to work this morning from my small bungalow, through the suburbs of giant 2-garage-laden houses, I counted how many vehicles bigger than my tiny car were carrying a single passenger. I would estimate about 95%.

Yep, Canadians really care about climate change. We are truly forked, unless we double or triple the price of fuel.

Anonymous said...

Oh, not Lord Monckton again!

He works with the Heartland Institute, funded by Exxon.

They hired a lot of the tobacco shills. Remember "Smoking is good for you", then "Smoking's not bad for you", then "Smoking doesn't have anything to do with cancer", then "People who smoke actually want to get cancer", then "The Nanny State is forcing you to obey its rules to take away your pleasure in life"?


Austyn: I don't know how old you are, but you are certainly right to question things. Always question things. Whether your view turns out to be right or wrong doesn't matter as much as the fact that you question, analyze, and think.

You will find a lot of rhetoric on both sides of this, some good analysis, and some areas of uncertainty. One way to analyze things is an old newspaper maxim "follow the money". You can read all about the oil companies supposedly paying skeptics, and you can read about the Kyoto protocol supposedly paying other countries for hot air, or even Al Gore supposedly making money off climate change.

Always try to look at arguments objectively, and discern the actual message. A lot of the time you are subjected to what amounts to a kind of abuse, being talked down to, laughed at, or otherwise made to feel small and foolish. Often there is no actual argument made, only abuse, intended only to get you to agree with the viewpoint being promoted.

Good luck sifting through all the noise!

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Austyn: I don't know how old you are, but you are certainly right to question things. Always question things. Whether your view turns out to be right or wrong doesn't matter as much as the fact that you question, analyze, and think.

I think Austyn is around 11 or so. I find myself agreeing with most of what you've said here, L.S.

The most important thing is to develop critical thinking skills and not let others do your thinking for you, which I believe is pretty much what you've said.

OMMAG said...

I never actually heard from CTV what their criteria were for that choice.
Did they get that from their own never ending series of PUFF polls?

Yet how can that be when so many headlines this past year screamed that the environment or global warming were the NO.1 concern of Canadians ... according to those very polls?

Seems like more of the same old same old from these pathetic would be arbiters and shapers of public opinion.

So remind me again while your at it, why I or anyone should care about what CTV says we think.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

On the other hand, just because you don't think much about the source of some information, doesn't necessarily make that information invalid.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

(My previous comment was referencing L.S.'s)

Joanne (True Blue) said...

So remind me again while your at it, why I or anyone should care about what CTV says we think.

To tell you the truth, I'm not 100% sure how they arrived at this list either. I just found it amusing that the environment didn't even make the top ten.

OMMAG said...

Your point did not go by unnoticed Joanne. :)

The only reason I didn't wade into the debate over Environment Vs. Other stuff is because there are way too many people beating that drum.

In fact the editorial board of CTV just sat around and jawed about what their own personal favorites were until they arrived at some sort of consensus.

It's not an objective selection in any way. So what I take away from that is:
1- The editorial board of CTV doesn't read their own headlines or consider their own polls to be of any value.
2- There is NO special reason why anyone should pay any attention to what they say in any case.

Anonymous said...

Liberal supporter, already done, a lot! In fact I believed the school's take on it, for about 5 hours (which proves something there). I just went with what sounds like it has more scientific basis, and by read, it's either models or proper measurements, and I've also seen no debate on this. In fact, I've seen these people advertising this! I always read both sides. Must be why people (think?) I'm smart.
-Austyn

Anonymous said...

Joanne you got one busy blog going here... maybe these other guys around here can learn from you :). Now answer me this: why do all these environmental outposts have weird names? Like we had Rio, Kyoto and now Bali. Sounds alien to me. (real conservative)