The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Last night I dreamed that the oceans had turned to Jell-o. Everything under the water was stuck, like chunks of pineapple in a gray coloured fruit salad. I woke up with that post-apocalyptic feeling that tends to follow bad news. The list of disasters around the world seems endless. Drought, floods and increasing numbers of hurricanes are all signs that Mother Nature isn't happy. We're a little full of ourselves about life up here in the North, snuggled between the rocks and trees. But last week's windstorm was eerie. It gave us all a taste of what much of the world experiences seasonally. To quote hip hop artist Nelly: "It's getting hot in here." Nine countries hit new temperature highs last summer, causing devastating floods in Pakistan and elsewhere. There aren't many scientists who dispute global warming. Those who do work hard for their supper serving industries that are major polluters. It's also hard for governments to ignore the pleas (and the cash) of big business, especially when so many families benefit from the work. The Alberta oilsands are a good example. The system for extracting oil is much less efficient than regular oil wells, creating high carbon emissions for less result. But the world is so energy hungry that the jobs created by it pay well. We all want prosperous communities. But in the attempt to keep the economy moving (and get re-elected), most governments choose to ignore the disasters awaiting the planet. There's some lip service, but no one is doing anything significant to halt carbon emissions. We need serious investment into energy alternatives. We need stricter environmental laws that big business has to follow. If the financial incentives are there, the results will be amazing. It's not too late. Judy Pettersen is a Flin Flon writer.
