Hundreds of protesters – many in kayaks – raised their voices, signs and paddles on Saturday in Burnaby to raise awareness about Kinder Morgan’s pipeline proposal.
The pipeline plan involves a major expansion of oil delivery to the Trans Mountain storage facility and marine terminal on Burrard Inlet, where it would then be shipped off in tankers.
It’s a plan that doesn’t make any real rational sense on so many levels. It is neither a safe location nor an environmentally sound one for a major oil transportation point.
The plan is also based on a troubling economic premise: that selling more oil will ensure our prosperity in the future. In fact, the entire pipeline plan is founded on a product whose demand is dwindling.
But those reasons, which should be enough to stop the project in its tracks, are just symptomatic of the bigger issue.
The problem is that our use and dependence on fossil fuels is killing our planet. It is the direct cause of climate change and pollution. Fracking is causing earthquakes and poisoning water supplies. Our addiction to our cars and gas-guzzling toys – boats, ATVs, etc. – is hurting us. It is making the planet’s environment dirtier, hotter and unhealthier for all living creatures.
So why is our government even pondering an expansion of a dying industry, and why can’t our political leaders make a dramatic change to other energy supplies? For the same reason we can’t give up our gas-guzzling toys. The same reason we hate it when the power goes out, the coffee runs out, the TV breaks, and the cheezies in the snack bar are gone. We are addicted to comfort and routine. It is hard to change. It is hard to give up the “rewards” for going along with a fossil fuel economy. It is scary and uncomfortable.
Frankly, it’s not entirely our fault. We live in a society that values growth and profit above all else. Yes, we recognize unselfish acts and charitable giving, but money is still the basic benchmark of success.
And, let’s face it, if we drop fossil fuels and make a significant leap into alternative energy sources, we’re going to lose some of our favourite things. It will mean changing our economic expectations. And it will require much government support to build literal and figurative bridges to the new economy. The move will not be without its bumps. But the longer we put it off, the less chance we have of making the transition before climate change makes it a moot point.
We can make the leap if leaders like Justin Trudeau care more about the future of the planet than the next election.
C’mon, Justin Trudeau, kill the pipeline and lead us into a truly sustainable and soul-nourishing economy.
Your kids, and grandkids, will thank you for it.
