But it ain't easy. This is one of those times when accepting the will of the people is particularly hard. It's not living under a conservative government that's a challenge. I've done that most of my life and am quite accustomed to it. The difference this time is that we—and by we I mean everyone on planet Earth—face an overarching threat and our new government is on the wrong side.
The premier says he recognizes anthropogenic climate change but his actions suggest he is nowhere near recognizing the urgency of dealing with it. We had a reasonably good climate change program under the previous government (by reasonably good I mean by Canada's shabby standards) but the new guys are dismantling it and what they are replacing it with looks hopelessly inadequate. The premier has announced no more subsidies for solar energy even while we continue with generous subsidies for fossil fuels. In other words, we will not assist one of the real hopes for the future, but we will generously assist the producer of the main cause of the threat. It's madness.
The transition from a fossil fuel economy to a sustainable energy economy will be difficult. The problem with Mr. Kenney is that instead of putting all his government's energy into the transition, he is putting it into staying on the fossil fuel track. With the premier, it's oil all the way.
I cannot help comparing our 51-year old male leader with the 16-year old Greta Thunberg. Ms. Thunberg is the Swedish teenager who has gained a well-deserved reputation as a climate warrior. She recognizes the urgency of dealing with global warming and is campaigning hard to convince world leaders to take appropriate measures. "The climate crisis has already been solved," she has said. "We already have all the facts and solutions. All we have to do is to wake up and change." All too true, Greta, but our leader is a heavy sleeper.
Must we be led by children? If only people were baseball cards, and we could swap a Jason for a Greta.
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