Pipelines distract from bigger issues

The pipeline debate ignited during the Harper era overshadows everything, letting political leaders off the hook from discussing other important issues.

The debate over pipelines is a convenient topic for politicians hard-pressed for answers about how we will move forward as a province and a country in an orderly fashion.

Our history is clear. Previous governments have undermined Alberta’s tax base to the benefit of wealthy private individuals and multinational corporations. Oil and gas exploitation has left a massive, toxic legacy that needs to be cleaned up.

We desperately need to find a new engine of our economy. And climate change is only beginning to show the damage it will cause to our communities. These problems are not something of the past, as research is showing that rising carbon emissions, air pollution, and natural climate cycles will combine over the next 20 years to make climate change faster and more furious.

While we dwell on the magicbullet solution of pipeline infrastructure, the world is already moving on.

Barret Weber, Edmonton