Many climate challenges ahead

This is part two of a three-part series on climate change. Part one appeared in Tuesday’s News and part three will appear in Thursday’s News.

I agree with the Wildrose Party that the NDP’s carbon tax is a bad idea though perhaps for different reasons. It’s not that I don’t believe in climate change — I do, it’s just that this fight over carbon emissions and green energy misses the real problem.

Let’s say we woke up tomorrow and magically the world had converted to 100 per cent renewable energy. Only wind farms, solar farms, tidal power stations, and electric cars. Would this miraculous transformation save the planet?

This would stop carbon from increasing in the atmosphere. That’s great except that climate change is only one environmental problem facing humanity. You don’t believe in climate change? OK, let’s forget about this one and talk about our other upcoming challenges.

Earth system scientists are trying to understand what it would mean for humanity to live in balance with our planet. To be sure humans are at the early stages of understanding our complicated biosphere, but they have come up with nine planetary boundaries essential for human life.

1. Biosphere integrity; over the past 50 years humans have increasingly changed a multitude of ecosystems leading to increasing biodiversity loss.

2. Stratospheric ozone depletion. Remember when we were worried about the ozone hole over Antarctica? The stratospheric ozone layer protects the planet from lethal UV radiation. The ‘Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer’ was signed in 1987. This international agreement saved the ozone layer, which is now recovering.

3. Chemical pollution and the release of novel entities. New chemical compounds are being released into ecosystems. The effects may be sublethal, but can cause decreased fertility in organisms and continue to accumulate. 4. Climate change. We’re skipping this one. 5. Ocean acidification. Tied to the increasing carbon in the atmosphere. Increasing acidity makes it harder and harder for marine organisms to build their “bones.”

6. Freshwater consumption. It’s going up and we’re increasingly altering freshwater systems.

7. Land system change. We’re converting a lot of natural land for human use, mainly farmland.

8. Nitrogen and phosphorus runoff pollution of waterways. Causes algae blooms that create oxygen-starved waters.

9. Atmospheric aerosol loading. I couldn’t understand this one never mind trying to explain it to you.

Each of the nine have safe zones. Biodiversity integrity along with nitrogen and phosphorus runoff pollution are at dangerous levels right now. We’re OK with the others for now, but most are increasing. Even minus climate change, there are clear signs that humanity’s current environmental trend is dangerous.

Carbon taxes are meant to steer humanity to a carbon neutral lifestyle. But we shouldn’t equate a carbon neutral life with a sustainable one. The proponents of green energy don’t seem to appreciate the consequences of this switch. Let’s think about what moving off of fossil fuels would take. Every internal combustion engine would have to be replaced. That’s every bulldozer, cargo-ship, car, truck, weed-whacker, lawn mower, generator, power plant and chainsaw. Building “green” machines require huge amounts of resources. That would lead to greater environmental problems. Conservatives are right to be suspicious about green energy.

However, on this issue both climate change believers and deniers are thinking too narrowly. Think of your parents’ lifestyle and compare it with your own. Think of your grandparents’ lifestyle. We consume more and more. Climate change is not the problem. It’s a symptom, like the other increasing planetary boundaries. The root problem is overconsumption—that’s the underlying issue. Switching to green energy while keeping consumption at current levels just trades one environmental problem for others. Thus a carbon tax will ultimately be an ineffective solution to our environmental problems.

Our lifestyles are at issue and, simply put, technology will not save us. So what should we do about it? Nothing.

While Premier Rachel Notley and the NDP’s intentions are noble they are wrong to impose this controversial carbon tax without a clear mandate from Albertans. A carbon tax wasn’t part of their platform and let’s not forget a clear majority of Albertans voted for conservative parties. The NDP majority in the Alberta legislature does not accurately reflect the electorate. It is based on a quirk and weakness of our first-past-the-post electoral system. Should conservatives win the next election it’s hard to imagine the carbon tax will stand. Progress can’t be made by lurching between the two sides.

It’s easy to argue against climate change and the clumsy efforts to curb it. It’s harder to ignore the larger environmental picture. But before we can agree on a solution, we must first agree that there is a problem. So let’s first do the hard work of building consensus and persuading each other. It’s better to wait a decade then move towards solutions united then to try and address these issues divided.

@KrisSamraj is a writer. He's going to favour us with some words from time to time.