Are We Afraid?

The Federal Government recently commissioned a report by the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy to tell us what the impact of climate change will be. They looked at several different scenarios ranging from high immigration with accompanied economic growth, to low immigration with a stagnant economy. The costs range from $21B per year by 2020, to $91B per year by 2050. It seems that the biggest expenses will come from increased forest devastation, flooding due to rising ocean levels, and increased health care cost due to poor air quality in the excessive heat.

This is all pure conjecture. For example, the rise in ocean levels was predicted to have started already, yet there is no evidence.

What really irks me is that there is no mention of the possibility that costs will be offset by advantages of a warming trend. (note that there is no longer talk of 'Global Warming', but only climate change) Here are three economic advantages of  a rise in overall temperatures in Canada.

1. A longer tourist season.

2. Better and more food crops due to a longer growing season.

3. Reduced heating fuel consumption and costs and thus reduced emissions, thus reduced pollution, thus reduced greenhouse gases, which will in turn cause less heating of the atmosphere. (Which will cause a cooling trend, which will bring us back to a cold Canadian climate.)

Do you see how convoluted it can get when studies are based on pure conjecture and computer models? When the sunspot activity returns to normal levels, and the ocean currents once again find their equilibrium, we will be fine. The problem is the 'Climate Change Industry' will not leave this alone. It is a Goose who laid a golden egg and they will do all they can to perpetuate fear and uncertainty. For the government to use our tax money to commission a study such as this, in a time when the economy is shrinking and the money could be better spent elsewhere, is reprehensible.