As for the “truthiness” of the rest of your opinions on global warming and its effects, we have a good idea of where they are coming from, and why.
You think that Kyoto is about wealth transfer? Well the system we have now is about wealth transfer too, and unless you are already rich, the odds of the wealth being transferred to you, is 95% against you.

“I’m talking about a for-profit business, like a consulting agency.”
And if there were regulations requiring business to stop killing us with their pollution, they’d have a reason to go out and hire those consultants, other than suddenly growing a heart and wanting to be socially responsible.

“Sorry, but actions speak louder than words.”
That’s why I follow up my words with action. And I’m encourging people to also take action through both my elected leaders and by telling others how our elected leaders are currently failing us. One vote makes a difference, but convincing dozens of others to vote with you makes a movement.

Pilot, “And there goes my plans for my next post on “Untitled” “
What do you mean? If you meant you can’t use your rant as a blog post, I use my comments on other blogs as the bulk of my blog’s content quite often. It saves writing the same thing twice, and I get more readers here than elsewhere usually.

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Soulfood “big business is not all about the bottom line. The most successful companies in the world are the ones that think about social responsibility, including environmental controls.”

Unfortunately not all businesses share that sense of responsibility. Some are created with nothing else in mind than to rape the land and investors of their potential (ie. Enron, Bre-X), and they ignore the environmental costs because they don’t plan to be around long enough to clean up after themselves, and some people get very rich while leaving a toxic pool behind. Or they may hire from a country with defacto indentured servants/slaves.
Walmart is among the most successful companies in the world, yet they sell all kinds of products with packaging well beyond what is needed to contain or protect the product within. That’s waste and marketing manipulation, pure and simple. They show a company can be socially unresponsible, and still be highly profitable (successful) because they have enough money devoted to advertising and market control.

“Canada is an extremely expensive country to run than most, simply because of logistics. “
Yet the government lets private companies rip up the most efficient and lowest energy transport systems where the initial installation costs have already been offset (ie. railways). The provincial government also closes local services (ie. elevators, schools, hospitals) which increases infrastructure, pollution, and travel costs. And Municipalities allow building of pedestrian/cyclist inaccessible communities. It’s 2006, and Yorkton has a Walmart with no sidewalks, bus route, or bike lane going to it from at least the north and west approaches joining the bulk of the city [and probably no east access either for the houses over that way]. How else than by car or parachute can someone shop at Walmart? And if you parachute in, the helicopter fee to get out is insane, and more polluting than a car! :-)
Pilot, “If the companies are left in charge of making the rules, then they will affect public perception to be that there is no real problem.. them people like me and Saskboy are viewed as crackpots who don’t know what their talking about. Even though we read more than the headlines.”
Bravo, well said. They have billions of dollars to put their lies and manipulations on TV, while we only have a few dozen readers who may or may not read what we write in a given day, and YouTube (which won’t last). Our relatively small audience isn’t indicative of the validity of our position.

Same goes here. We’re walking the walk and talking the talk. When the government is not doing their jobs correctly, the responsibility lies in the hands of the people to call the government out. Just because they call elections when they want to doesn’t mean the people are without power… that’s why people protest, that’s why there’s riots. If you think the lawmakers don’t see those people getting tear gassed, you’re wrong.

As to Canada being so large, yes it does present challenges, but it also presents opportunity. We have untold resources and if the Conservative government didn’t have their heads so far up their asses they would

a) not sell out their own companies trying to make a buck (softwood lumber deal anyone?)
b) WOULD PUT ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS IN PLACE TO PROTECT OUR INVALUABLE NATURAL RESOURCES SO THAT WE CAN AFFORD TO MAINTAIN OUR MASSIVE LANDMASS.

As to your thoughts on corporate responsibility, yes, y ou’re right there are some very responsible corporations. General Electric, British Petroleum, Honda, and many others have made very positive headway in this specific field. But what about the General Motors, Wal-Marts, Enron’s, and others that have done the opposite. Even with government laws they manage to screw over everyone they see at every turn. A few good apples doesn’t protect the bunch… but a few bad ones can spoil it.

If the companies are left in charge of making the rules, then they will affect public perception to be that there is no real problem.. them people like me and Saskboy are viewed as crackpots who don’t know what their talking about. Even though we read more than the headlines.

Right Soulfood?

Thus, increase social responsbility, increase customer base, increase profits. It’s all about marginal gains, not gross, so if the cost of social responsibility is less than the profit from a new customer, than it is worthwhile and that is what today’s successful companies realize.

And I just want to comment on relying on the government. Everyone needs to realize that Canada is an extremely expensive country to run than most, simply because of logistics. The fact that we are the 2nd largest country in the world works against us. We have such a large area to maintain, yet such a small tax base to fund it. You need to realize that the government can no longer support everything. And they’re using the word “surplus” but that does not mean the money is sitting around. That’s just a budget word, it has nothing to do with actuals.

By allowing commerce to set the rules we allow a lawless society. Just as we depend on police to prevent people from committing violent murder, we should depend on legislation to and lawmakers to protect our lives and health from pollution. Not to mention that funding provided by the government helps the less fortunate contribute to climate change.

The largest polluters in the industrialized world are not you and me, it’s the big businesses that produce our products. If it were up to them there would be no controls because it’s cheaper, Soulfood as a Commerce graduate, you should understand the logic in that.

ANYWAYS.. enough bashing Soulfood… too easy.

To agree with SaskBoy, I’d like to add the following. The Conservative government in addition to cutting environmental programs has recently also cut funding to the tune of a billion plus dollars, then within days complained about the inefficiencies of the Liberal environmental plans. Well guys, if they did so bad, you’re doing worse. I actually ordered the One Tonne Challenge book and made many changes in my home and living style because of it. I’ve done sweet f++kall from your programs. Why not take that big surplus you have and put Canada at the forefront of the environmental movement. It only makes sense, we are the home to the worlds most famous environmentalist, David Suzuki.

I suppose I can take some comfort in the fact that the ‘Tories have so pissed off everyone that they don’t stand a chance in hell of winning another election for another 12 years.

And there goes my plans for my next post on “Untitled”

“I think you need to realize that the government officially represents us. Our problems ARE the government’s problems to deal with.”
That’s like saying that when marriage starts falling apart I should blame the government for that problem. They can’t be in charge of all our problems. It’s not logistically possible. We have to take on responsibility ourselves.

“Where’s the money to be made in lobbying businesses?”
I never said a lobby group. I said a non-governmental agency. I’m talking about a for-profit business, like a consulting agency. The fact is, being environmental doesn’t directly impact the bottom line and that’s why companies aren’t jumping to do it. This type of company would go to corporations and let them know the positives (in a quote) and would then help them achieve those goals to obtain those rewards (for a cost). There are otehr things such as social responsibility that will impact the bottom line, but it’s indirect and that is why companies aren’t jumping to do it.

And the fact is, I know you and me and my family and probably your family are doing a great job. I walk everywhere, use public transit, recycle, everything. We need to start encouraging others to do so. Maybe you don’t recycle at work. Get a recycling program started. People will see how easy it is and start doing it at home and it will just balloon from there.

Yeah, raising this debate is great, but talking isn’t doing. Sorry, but actions speak louder than words, and I really think that your biking speaks a lot louder than holding up flaws of a government. Take the responsibility to do your small part because it will balloon and make a larger difference in the world as a whole.