Climate change requires action
When Premier Scott Moe appeared at a parliamentary committee in Ottawa, he said “he believed in climate change.” Perhaps he does, but he simply doesn't believe in doing anything to combat its effects or take this conviction into consideration when making decisions about Saskatchewan's economy.
Consider largely positive articles referring to Moe's recent announcement about a series of irrigation projects that are to take water from the South Saskatchewan River; I am sure it would be very beneficial for those who are able to participate in this program.
What is not often mentioned is the growing concern of the low water level of the river from the depleting water sources (that is, glaciers and annual snowpack) and the diminishing water basins upstream in Alberta from where Saskatchewan wants to install its irrigation channels.
This means that if the water doesn't get here, there is no way we will be doing any irrigating — despite the fine channels and pumps that taxpayers fund. Perhaps the premier and those in his office are wilfully unaware of the decreasing water levels.
Or perhaps they are ignoring the prevailing research, and relying on some other self-serving fringe science.
One article in the non-profit journal called The Conversation states: “The diminishing winter snowpack, combined with increasing frequencies of multi-year droughts in the Prairies from below-average regional precipitation, is setting up the summer of 2024 as another year of abnormally low volumes of water flowing through the basin.”
Also, the Calgary Herald ran this article recently: “Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz sets mid-april deadline for water-sharing agreements, entering into discussions as to how water will be used.”
If there is so much concern for water levels and drought conditions in Alberta, why is the Saskatchewan government intent on draining water from a diminishing source without discussions into the viability of such a proposal?
If Moe believes in climate change — a phrase which coincidently he did not use at the recent SARM convention — he appears to act as if all you have to do is say the words and not act accordingly.
Henry Friesen, Regina