A Climate Change policy discussion.
Earlier today, I emailed to a local City Councillor to offer a proposal. I copied City Council and two other persons who are relevant stakeholders to the topic.
The Mayor advised me.
The email was initiated by me on the advice of our Mayor who offered it during my public deputation to Council yesterday. I will refer to the email recipient as “Councillor (?)” so as to not violate privacy policies. I will only share my words verbatim and paraphrase her response.
My deputation, (about 15 minutes into this YouTube video) is entitled ‘Energy Security’. I pose one question: Should unsubstantiated Climate Change policy requests be taken seriously by City Council if those requests lead to legislation or decisions that will threaten our reliable and affordable energy sources (namely fossil fuels and nuclear).
The initial email.
Hello Councillors,
I am writing to follow up on the suggestion I made yesterday as part of COW2023-09.4.2. that Councillor (?) and I hold a public discussion about Climate Change. The discussion would address this question:
“Does the theory that mankind’s reliance on fossil fuels pose a sufficient threat to justify carbon taxes and other government measures which threaten our Energy Security?”
Tiff Macklem, Governor of the Bank of Canada, recently acknowledged that if carbon taxes were eliminated, inflation would drop by ~16% (i.e. reduce the current rate of inflation from 3.8% to 3.2%). Put another way, carbon taxes are a significant cause of the rising cost of living that bedevils every citizen, especially our poorest.
We expect our elected politicians to be sufficiently knowledgeable in the climate change crisis THEORY to know when to reject any proposal that will increase our cost of living without sufficient scientific proof that it is absolutely warranted.
In anticipation that Councillor (?) may reject this offer to participate in this public discussion, I am making the same offer to the Mayor or any Councillor who may offer to take her place. Energy Security is a vital topic to everyone and your constituents deserve to know if we can trust Council to protect us from the punishing affects of unwarranted Climate Change policies.
Councillor (x), a former high school teacher, asked if I am interested in holding discussions about Climate Change policies with students. My answer is emphatically YES! As the author of a book on the subject, I feel well equipped to discuss this topic and am eager to do so especially with our youth. They have been subjected to only one narrative for far too long. Critical thinking skills are needed today more than ever, and considering a variety of perspectives on a topic like Climate Change is one way to exercise those critical thinking “muscles”.
I am copying Pamela Vanmeer (a well-known local investigative journalist) because I thought she could be a good moderator for the public discussion if my proposal is accepted. I left her a voice message yesterday with that suggestion and am awaiting her reply. I will accept your choice of venue for this event.
Dr. Kerstin Kelly (also copied) is an Advocate for Civil Society, the group I represented during my deputation.
I look forward to your reply.
Gene Balfour, Advocate for Civil Society co-founder.
Councillor (?) declined my offer.
The reason she gave is that neither of us are climate scientists.
My response.
I am disappointed you have refused my offer, but please allow me to address your concern.
You don’t need to be a climate scientist to discuss public policy.
As a City Councillor, you are frequently called upon to make decisions concerning Climate Change. The City’s constituents deserve to know the basis upon which you make those decisions. If you are not a climate scientist, then you must have some knowledge in this area upon which to make those decisions. This is what we wish to learn regarding your competence to vote responsibly on matters pertaining to Climate Change.
I am not a climate scientist either, but I wrote a book about “what to do about Climate Change” in a democratic society. If you read my book, you will see that it does not debate climate science. Rather, it discusses a unique way to reduce greenhouse gases at industrial plants without any government involvement. In other words, it is a policy proposal.
My invitation to you is an opportunity to showcase your knowledge about Climate Change from a policy perspective. Yes, a basic understanding of science is required upon which to formulate policy decisions, but the depth of science knowledge that is required is about the level of a high school student who has studied Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Can I assume that your academic background covered those topics?
(The Councillor who was a former high school teacher) suggested that the 3 greenhouse gas questions that I posed in my deputation were appropriate for grade 12 students. The questions in our public presentation would be no more challenging.
Please reconsider my offer.
Councillor (?) replied
She informed me that she follows well-documented science on climate change to help with her decisions. Then she suggested I do the same.
My final effort.
Councillor (?),
Thank you for your suggestion.
Good news! If you follow the “well-documented science” as you claim, then you should have no problem referencing published scientific research papers and books by scholars and scientists.
I did not know that you were so well-informed. This is all the more reason for you to participate in a public discussion on the topic. We can avoid the “politicized science” presented by representatives of the IPPC, the UN, and other government institutions. Instead, we can directly reference esteemed scientists like Dr. William Happer.
Does this mean that you are willing to have this public discussion after all?
“No” means “No”.
I just received her message that she will “not be debating me” as mentioned previously.
NO CIGAR
Some of my friends would likely give me an “A” for effort, but I won’t be celebrating with scotch and my favourite Montecristo cigar any time soon.
Hopefully, one of the other Councillors will accept the opportunity to shed some light on the Council’s Change Change policy perspectives.
I am fed up with politicians bamboozling the public with scare tactics, of which the infamous climate change is one. Al Gore and Obama with the rising water levels and the dying polar bears. All bunk.
How many of these Councillors have the UN handbook by their bedside table I wonder. Climate has always been changing. Sometimes it has been warmer, sometimes cooler. Ebb and flow from time immemorial. To get stuck on CO 2 is the biggest joke (not funny) of all. CO 2 feeds the world of living vegetation. Without it we die since vegetation produces oxygen. Don't these elected people know anything? We learned this in grade 6.
Well ,on a good note this is on the record, with both emails and inhouse session. We /or Gene will have the ability to address any more climate change chatter that occurs here. Most of the SDGs are based on "climate change" at our council and more important than Human Services (a debt. that struggles with a REAL crisis) . When you have a video of the CAO carrying ballots from election sites , it says a lot about how some of these radical lefties end up in a right wing municipality.