We live in interesting times. Who knew that ethical issues are now mainstream? Should vaccinations be mandatory when one side insists on individual freedom while another thinks that responsibility for public health concerns come first? Should news media give equal space to two sides of any argument whether they contain true or false information? If more people get their news from social media, should it be monitored by the platforms that own it?
But another interesting one concerns lobbying. The government of the Canadian province of Alberta has recently spent $3.5 million to explore perceived lobbying by others to work against extracting oil from its oil sands - which used to be called tar sands before that sounded like an unpleasant black thick substance. Among those caught in the net is respected environmentalist Bill McKibben. He is apparently mentioned several times in the soon to be published report and is given a chance to respond. He does so in a New Yorker article titled, No, Alberta, Don’t Be Sad. We Love You. Really.
He wants to make it clear that he is not against Alberta itself - which the study seems to insinuate. What he is concerned about is the burning of the large amount of fossil fuel that the province still has in the ground - about 173 billion barrels, he says. That would create 112 billion tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere - 28% of the world’s remaining carbon budget set by the Paris accord. We live in a country with less than 1% of the world’s population and McKibben stresses the unfairness of that use by a single province of it. The world has gradually become aware of the situation and the potential damage.
McKibben is quick to point out that he has been part of the process of questioning the ethics of this use, but that Alberta has not been the only place on the radar of 350.org the company he founded. Its name was named after 350 parts per million — the safe concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In June 2021 were already at 418.94 parts per million, up from 416.60 in June 2020. Since 2009, 350.0rg has advocated for a reduction of fossil fuel use all over the world - not just for Alberta.
And Alberta itself is starting to see the perils of climate change within its own borders. It’s normal to feel resentment when it has taken us so long to see the impact and understand the cause. but what if that same $3.5 million had been allocated to new possibilities rather than trying to live in the past?