by G. Cornelis "Kees" van KootenI live on a Pacific Island off the coast of British Columbia (BC), Canada. Vancouver Island is about the same size as the Netherlands, but only has a population of about ¾ million (about 60% of whom live in the Victoria area) compared to 17 million in the Netherlands. As of April 8, 2020, BC had 1,291 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 43 deaths (mainly at long-term care homes), while the Island had 81 confirmed cases. The Netherlands had 20,682 confirmed cases and … [Read more...]
Does Demonizing the Other Side Promote Constructive Debate Over Climate Change?
Who are “climate skeptics”? Greg Garrard, Associate Professor of Sustainability at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan, thinks he knows. In fact, he believes “environmentalists” generally “know who climate skeptics are: oil company shills, religious fundamentalists and neoliberal cheerleaders.” With that courteous and respectful opening, Garrard issued a call for papers for the symposium “Who Do They Think They Are? Cultures of Climate Skepticism, Anti-Environmentalism, and … [Read more...]
A Call to Truth, Prudence, and Protection of the Poor 2014: The Case against Harmful Climate Policies Gets Stronger
Click here to read the full paper (PDF). Protect the Poor: Ten Reasons to Oppose Harmful Climate Change Policies Epigram The greatest threat to the alleviation of the structural poverty of the Third World is the continuing campaign by western governments, egged on by some climate scientists and green activists, to curb greenhouse emissions, primarily the CO2 from burning fossil fuels. … [I]t is mankind’s use of the mineral energy stored in nature’s gift of fossil fuels … accompanying the … [Read more...]
