Facts counter criticism of previous government

Minister Phillips’ continuing triumpant trashing of the previous government’s record on energy efficiency and climate change is getting tiresome. A May 23 article in The Herald, “Alberta catching up with energy efficiency,” provides “alternate facts” from Minister Phillips readily countered by information available on the internet.

Minister Phillips claims, in the article cited, that Alberta had no plan related to the ”energy crunch” of the 1970s. In fact, a document from the federal government, “Initiatives in Domestic Energy Conservation,” November 1981, indicates Alberta was fully engaged in responding to energy concerns of the time. An Alberta Government news release, Budget 2009, indicates that “Cash rebates will help Albertans be more energy efficient.” That program was managed by Climate Change Central, a provincial initiative established in 1999 to highlight efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Fortunately for humanity, the tenacity of science-based technology development transcends petty politics and ultimately produces dramatic improvements in the way humans utilize energy. The overall efficiency of heat engines has improved from about one per cent to 60 per cent over the past 250 years. Similarly, the highly efficient LED lighting Minister Phillips is promoting has been gradually developed over the past 100 or so years. This technology is ready to replace the incandescent lights we grew up with. It does not need to be pushed with carbon tax funding.

Energy science and engineering endures. Politicians come and go. Duane Pendergast

Lethbridge