Recently I read this piece taken from the North Star and St. John's Newfoundland News. It is dated July 19th, 1879. Is nature just repeating itself in a never-ending and perhaps not truly understood renewal process? Here is what the concerned writer revealed 110 years ago.

"The outlook abroad is more than usually gloomy. Storms, floods and hurricanes seem to be completing the devastation which unseasonable weather began. In the United States and Canada the heat is unusually severe, and numerous deaths are already reported by sunstroke, this early in the season.

"In Europe, this year (1879) so far has been unusually disastrous, and there has been large losses of life and property by flood and fire. We have had the most distressing accounts of the floods in Hungary and elsewhere, the eruption of Mount Etna, the ravages of life by plague subsequent to the Turco-Russian war, the famine pestilence in India; and now comes the prospect of cholera in Russia."

What experiences the world is capable of undergoing we have the evidence of; but what still more adverse conditions it is capable of assuming remains yet to be discovered.

Only the date
The only difference in comparing extreme climate events of so long ago with today's weather is the date. As for the series of events abroad (as they say) we have a carbon copy in our hands right now in 2008.

Remember back then there were no gas-guzzling automobiles, gigantic polluting oil refineries everywhere and no carbon being spewed into the atmosphere like today, yet the symptoms of climate change are the same all over these days as witnessed back then.

Do we really believe greenhouse gas emissions are the root cause of melting polar ice caps, rising oceans, disastrous tornados and climate changes around the world?

I don't. And, I don't think we are slowly poisoning the planet. I think our eco- system is far more complicated than that. The oceans are surely examples of renewal in nature's cycle (think of the Dead Sea the one and a half million year old mystery) -- so I think our entire globe will go on experiencing the same sort of (natural) renewal during our lifetime and beyond.

I am personally downplaying in my mind all the hype about the effects of greenhouse gases etc. I think it is just that - hype -- politics on a global scale in all corners of the world, especially in Europe and media-dictating North America.

When politicians are doing nothing, the first thing they do is create a furore to take the heat off the real issues. That has been a political ploy since time began. And, it's happening again nowadays right under our complacent eyes.

Those with vested interest (scientists and politicians) jump on these issues to make their reasons more applicable I think.

What a joke
f this global warming situation is so critical to our survival as a race, then why did the leading nations of the world who attended the G-8 summit held in Japan recently come to the consensus of cutting greenhouse gases by one half by 2050 -- 42 years from now. Remember they said cutting it in half! What a joke.

Closer to home, in Quebec City July 18, Canada's premiers stopped short of an agreement on lowering greenhouse gas emissions but -- get this- -- took a stand on high energy costs. Another joke!

They (including Danny Williams) were attending a three-day conference of the Council of the Federation of Canada's Premiers.

The premiers and territorial leaders had sought to lay the groundwork on a plan to fight climate change. British Columbia and central Canada wanted a cap-and-trade (a system which allows polluters to buy credits from greener companies -- whatever that means). But Alberta and Saskatchewan wanted to take a different route: carbon capture.

Other provinces including ours were torn between the two options. Danny Williams said in a press conference afterwards, "I guess if we had a leaning at all, it's cap and trade." 

Note he said, "If we had a leaning at all," Isn't his decision therefore a non-decision on such a critical problem as world leaders demand we believe? I think not.

Sustenance for pollutants
The Telegram reported Williams touting the energy plan as evidence of this province's commitment to the issue.

"Right now we have the second lowest emissions among provinces and we are undertaking other green initiatives to ensure we tackle the global issue."
(In the meantime our future is more and more dependant on projects like Hibernia and White Rose that will provide more oil (sustenance for pollutants).
Speaking of green, federal Liberal Leader Stephane Dion's new pre-election green plan (carbon tax) is yet another wacky political scheme that in my opinion won't fly.

Dion is attempting to put the problem of funding and fighting global warming back into the hands of the electorate.

How ridiculous! Truth is the average voter doesn't give a damn about global warming, I suggest.

A news release broadcast on CTV July 19 at the end of the premier's meetings in Quebec said: "In the end the 13 leaders decided to focus on lowering energy costs and overall demand committing to a 20 percent increase in energy efficiency by 2020 from coast to coast. That's 12 years from now and just 20 per cent.

Despite this, we are asked to believe we are at a crisis point 'round the globe -- caused by pollutants in the air from oil, gas, and tons of carbon monoxide spewing from billions of automobiles on the road daily. (In Beijing 3.3 million cars will be systematically removed from China's roads for the upcoming summer Olympic games. Politics!)

Meanwhile back in Canada the truth of the matter is what the Quebec leader's conference delivered was only a drop in the bucket and they know it. They were more interested in talking to Canada's top banker (Mark Carney) to discuss economics and interest rates.
The question remains: how could 10 of our leaders get together to discuss such a critical topic as global warming and leave divided?

Dependence on oil
The problem is, and George W. Bush said it, quote: We are too dependent on oil.

Whoopee George W! And who is at fault? The U.S.A and Canada for certain. Now there is an all out panic to switch from fuels to hybrids (gas and electric power vehicles) which automotive engineers say, will take at least 10 or more years to perfect. I say it will never work.

If it does, batteries will replace gas and oil as the next scapegoats for international tension as the money changers (China i.e.) eventually seize control of it.
In the meantime the leading power in the world, the U.S.A., is on its knees both economically and socially (people losing their homes in the millions) while energy costs are going through the roof with gas at $4 a gallon in the U.S. and nearly $1.50 a litre - over $6 a gallon in Canada. It costs $90 to fill up a mini-van these days, pity those who are on a weekly salary and have to drive long distances to and from work daily (sandpits have become temporary parking lots for workers who are forced into car sharing).

It is a quagmire and there is little that can be done about it. It is caused by greed, exorbitant profits by the oil producing countries and companies and global warming is only a smoke screen to help divert attention on the pathetic job our politicians are doing in managing their respective governments (particularly George W).

We are at the mercy of the oil sheiks in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and Venezuela. They have the western world on its energy knees. It is scary to say the least. Could World War Three be in the making? God help us if it is. Remember the two Great Wars started over much lesser evils.

The sad thing is those exorbitant energy prices will never go down substantially.

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