The American government recently told its California farmers that there is no end in sight for drought and reduced supplies of fresh water in aquifers and rivers.
Scientists confirm the earth is experiencing a rise in heat never before witnessed in its temperature fluctuations throughout civilization. This rise in heat occurring over the last 150 years is in proportion to man’s dependency on carbon-producing fuels.
A former engineer in the natural gas industry, Bob Conibear, spoke of his suggestions for carbon reduction. He told us that there are three main sources of atmospheric carbon which contribute to the present increase in global temperatures. The first source is transportation i.e: vehicles/ships/planes. The second source of carbon is oil, coal, or gas-burning power plants which create and supply electric power for industry (such oil refineries, pulp mills, aluminum smelters). The third source of carbon pollution is from the use of natural gas and oil to heat homes, schools, offices, apartment complexes.
Carbon reduction to preserve sustainable life on this planet is the urgent goal.
His solution to vehicle CO2 reduction is to make it mandatory that the B.C. provincial government stop spending the $1.7 billion gas-pump carbon-tax elsewhere and, instead, give $6,000 rebates to any vehicle purchase which is electric/battery powered. He says if all new vehicle purchases were electric/battery powered, that within 10 years 80 per cent of vehicle CO2 exhaust would be eliminated.
The retired engineer stated that in his research, modern, updated nuclear technology is the quick and efficient solution. Modern nuclear reactors can be powered with non-radioactive thorium, rather than uranium. Thorium is found just about anywhere, is recyclable, and does not leave behind weapons-grade plutonium as a byproduct.
“Older 1950s reactors are the ones which posed problems. Canada supplies modern, updated CANDU reactors across the globe. Generation 3 and 3+ nuclear reactors are the sole existing means capable of significant carbon reduction. Generation 4 reactors now in design offer even more value. Popular non-carbon options such as solar and wind are intermittent power sources and require 100 per cent backup. They are not technically nor economically practical to replace huge, coal-burning power plants. A shift to modern nuclear technology could occur quickly and economically.”
Canadians desiring a habitable planet must take such solutions seriously. We can set the stage for the other countries, before it is too late
Bill Woollam
Duncan