New jobs in fossil fuels would be better spent on green tech

Re Lessons from leaving coal in the dust, Scoffield, Feb. 8 Don’t let reductive voices define debate, Scoffield, Feb. 8

Heather Scoffield wrote two different articles, but I think it is vital that we all connect the dots between them. One makes the compelling point that once a “just transition” from fossil fuels meets the actual human beings and communities involved, that transition becomes much more complicated in real life and each situation requires a huge amount of time, money and creativity, to say nothing of pain and people left behind.

Contrast that with the idea of adding more jobs in the fossil fuel industry such as the proposed Teck oilsands mine and the folly of the approach of trying to have it both ways, as the current Liberal government seems to want to, becomes all the more stark.

There is no way we should be spending our resources opening up new carbon-extractive enterprises.

Put that energy into green jobs now, before we send thousands more people to northern Alberta.

Ken Whiteley, Toronto