Doer is doing the right thing
I’m so pleased by Gary Doer’s robust advocacy of the oil sands, as he assumes office as Canada’s ambassador to the United States.
As one of the most successful Western Canadian premiers in the history of our country, Gary brought a keen sense of stewardship and sustainability to resource development. And this is exactly the quality that’s needed, as he engages Americans on Canada’s ability to meet the energy security of the North American continent – and beyond.
Too many prominent Canadians are ready to walk away from the oil sands, in the face of a vigorous international campaign against “dirty oil.”
How irresponsible.
The responsible thing, surely, is to clean up our act. Just because there’s truth in the “dirty oil” label doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.
In Gary, we have an ambassador who will be frank and forthright in engaging our American partners – whose thirst for all led to unsustainable practices in our oil sands to begin with – in meaningful action to make the oil sands sustainable.
Our unique blend of abundant energy resources in an open and democratic society and the innately Canadian desire to develop our resources in a philosophy of environmental stewardship can help make us a leader in developing a “green oil” future.
The act of leadership Alberta and Canada need is to find the mix of policy, technology and clear government direction that will enable us to develop the oil sands responsibly. We will do so in a culture and context of environmental stewardship that will enable us to harvest and reap the wealth of our non-renewable natural resource without imperilling our planet, and without damaging the landscape that is going to be passed on to future generations.
The costs of the oil sands are measured in different ways: there is an economic cost that by its very nature includes the environmental cost associated with production and consumption. The well-formed criticisms notwithstanding, it should be pointed out that a democratic country and a democratic society has a broader, richer and deeper capacity to respond to environmental challenges than any dictatorship, simply because we must take public opinion, public pressure, citizen demands and citizen expectations into consideration when we shape our policy decisions.
Gary can get this message through to the Americans. He can also tell them that “in the ground wealth” that the oil sands represent is an asset that can fund robust societal development in Alberta for generations. Indeed, the value of the oil sands enables Alberta to aspire to becoming a world model for appropriate resource development and the equity that can bring.
Having led the New Democratic Party so successfully during his tenure as Manitoba’s premier, Gary is in an especially strong position to argue that we can set an example for the world if we use our wealth to advance the common good. This, too, will set us apart from the many energy economies where the bounty ends up in the hands of the few. We have a global obligation to show that investing in the potential of one’s people—mass access to education, health, a clean environment—is a better application of the enormous energy wealth that fuels war elsewhere.
I’m looking forward to reconnecting with Gary in Washington DC next week. He is hosting the opening reception for the Woodrow Wilson Centre Cross-Border Energy Forum. I am one of 40 or so Canadians and Americans gathered to discuss the theme: “Accelerating the Transformation of North American Energy Systems: How Much Should Canada and the United States Restrict International Offsets?”
The forum will assess the merits and drawbacks of international offsets as a means of reducing North American greenhouse gases. What is the optimal level of allowances, and what are the consequences to limiting U.S. and Canadian participation? Is the international offsets system reliable? Does it make sense for the United States to adopt a Technology Fund similar to Canada’s to prevent capital outflow from U.S. technology projects that could help transform energy systems faster in North America?
The discussions are under the Chatham House rule, which means participants can use all they learn, without attribution.
I’m looking forward to being a participant for the second successive year in this top-level gathering, and to a free and frank exchange of ideas that builds on the themes of my recent book Green Oil: Clean Energy for the 21st Century?
 - Satya Das
Edmonton Journal article: Ambassador Doer will fight for oilsands
- Comments
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|2009-10-22 11:24:20 Xanthe - re: Does it matter if Doer has it right?Your concerns are what Satya's book, Green Oil, addresses. There is an awareness that as you say, "we're like the last company that invested heavily in making horse drawn carriages" but you can use the return on the oilsands to make investments in clean energy technology, which is what Albertans hope will be done. We are fortunate that we have something in the present we can use to propel us in the future, and unlike California we have not recently faced bankruptcy.
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|2009-10-22 09:12:52 Harold Neth - Does it matter if Doer has it right?Doer may have it right for Alberta's current interest and past interest, but the reality is that high carbon oil is going to face increasing opposition and will simply be passed over as the rest of the world finds alternative energy. We would be smart to look at what California is doing and what European countries are doing.
Alberta's oil is high carbon in the production that comes from the oilsands, and we'd do well to use it to build the next sources of energy that include wind and solar power. Are we an energy producer or an oil producer? If we're the former let's get moving. If we're the latter, we're in big trouble. We're like the last company that invested heavily in making horse drawn carriages when the automobile was coming in, thinking that there's no possible way the auto could ever replace horses.
So, when you meet with Mr. Doer, thank him for taking interest in the oilsands and encourage him to use his influence with the Federal Government and the Government of Al...
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|2009-10-21 17:26:03 nbeerman - Doer is doing the right thingNobody seems to get it about the oil sands. I hope that Mr Das's and Mr. Doer's faimilies fail to cope with the future that they refuse to open their eyes to other than what is for the economy and their own selfish views. Now that would be justice.
