Dear Premier Clark,
I thought I should write this letter to you for a few reasons. It's largely because you don't want to sit down and talk too much about some of the problems with your aspirations for liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in B.C.
On those few occasions you have, reporters never ask you the questions that many of us out in the community want answered. (The fact that our news sources and journalists have largely failed our democratic demand for political scrutiny, we'll leave for another chat.)
For now, I want to ask you the question that fills the news these days: "What do you think about the growing reports of climate change around the world?"
Huge ice sheets in the arctic falling into the ocean. Rising sea levels. Floods, juiced-up hurricanes and tornadoes wiping out people's lives, their properties and their communities.
Just one of many examples was a few days ago in Bosnia: more than a million people affected by the worst floods to hit in living memory, compared to "the 'terrifying' destruction to that of the country's 1992-95 war."
And of course the latest report from a United Nations panel about the reality of climate change, and how it's reaching the point of no return, with the worst yet to come.
With 97 per cent of climate scientists saying it's true, I think most people in B.C. hope you agree.
If you think this challenge is real, you should then understand the opposition British Columbians (and indeed citizens across the over-heating globe) have to LNG facilities.
We believe that turning to natural gas is nothing short of a denial of the climatic upheaval we see everywhere, and a doubling-down on the very thing (fuelling catastrophic climate change) that has brought us this current mess.
Let's start with fracking.
I know you've been off to China and other countries to sell them on the LNG projects, even saying "we are good at fracking," but have you been up north to trace how the natural gas is gained, and to see the fracking process itself?
This four minute video offers a vivid example. It isn't pretty, is it? Scientists are warning us to further study the link between fracking and the poisoning of our water, and also the link between fracking and earthquakes.
In a province whose licence plates are ready to state: "Where The Big One is Overdue," we are frightened enough about nature's fragility. Not to mention how some have described it as "insanity" to locate a LNG facility in an area jonesing to rumble and shake.
So while you want to go quickly into building the LNG dream, the report from the Council of Canadian Academies has said we should do the opposite, recommending "a go-slow approach." In some cases, "because of the lack of accessible, peer-reviewed research."
Indeed we are -- as a global community -- facing a profound challenge:
How do we move away from those energies sources that have caused climate change -- oil/gas/coal -- and transition to sustainable, renewable energy sources?
We frame this task by believing citizens can be encouraged to use their imagination and remarkable skills for innovation. Agreed?
Take a look at the Princeton researchers who identified 15 basic technologies that could be used. If at least half were chosen, we'd be able to control the world's carbon emissions for at least the next 50 years.
Solar panels, for instance, have undergone radical technological refinement in the past ten years. Try watching the presentation at Berkeley, "How to Bring Solar Energy to Seven Billion People." The use of wind turbines. The use of water turbines. And of course the mere requirement for greater energy efficiency would go a long way too.
You can still go on road trips. But instead of visiting China, why not visit those countries that are heavily investing in sustainable, renewable resources?
You wouldn't have to go far. Just a quick trip to California. With "the world's eighth-largest economy in 2013," accepting that climate change is a reality -- it is quickly moving away from its dependency on fossil fuel. Certainly B.C. could follow suit.
In B.C., we haven't, as of yet, faced the brunt of climate change like California and other communities around the world. But with raging fires, droughts and those earthquakes so close to us, we now see the overwhelming necessity for change.
This was recently affirmed by the World Bank. Its vice-president, Rachel Kyte, said in a press briefing: "Climate change is one of the greatest threats to economic growth, not to mentions lives."
Lastly, I want to add that one of the most troubling parts of this debate over LNG is the strife brought to B.C. communities fighting about these projects. On the forefront is the grief and turmoil thrust upon First Nations.
It is the same for all our communities, pitting those needing economic security against those who understand it as fighting for the environment. These are not necessarily mutually exclusive values, but in the context of LNG, it has come to such.
As our premier, shouldn't you instead be pursuing a vision for a future that has everyone excited and wanting to work together? Where British Columbians aren't set against each other in an entrenched battle, but rather feel a bright optimism for our immediate future, and also for our children and their children to come? We even believe we can make money at it -- but in a way that is sustainable. And ethical.
Shouldn't you, as a provincial leader -- like any other leader who has changed the world for good -- seek to challenge your fellow citizens to see beyond the simple solutions?
Premier Clark, we look forward to hearing from you soon.