I am a retired mechanical engineer with over 46 years of industrial and consulting experience here in Nova Scotia.
I enjoyed reading your column in the Chronicle Herald newspaper today.
As far as the carbon tax, I am still trying to get my mind around how this is supposed to help us really fight climate change.
Right from the beginning, the Trudeau government has been telling us that most families will get back more than we pay in for the tax.
But for people who don’t have a car and don’t drive, they also get the rebate. (???) So why do they get far more than they paid?
Is the idea to simply make us think about rising fuel costs every time we go to the pump, and therefore try to drive less?
Although I agree that we all should try and do something to lessen our carbon footprint, I am not so sure that getting Canada to zero CO₂ emissions will make that much difference.
Canada is a high per capita producer of greenhouse gases, but as a total of the world, a very small player.
We could go to zero greenhouse gas emissions, but if China, India and the USA don’t make big strides in reducing their output, in won’t make much difference. We all share the atmosphere. We can end up looking good, but not making much real difference.
As an engineer, I think we need to spend more resources in mitigating the effects of climate change.
If you have any comments on how this carbon tax is expected to work, I’d appreciate hearing them.
Thanks for your comment. In principle the tax should discourage consumption, so that people will drive less, use public transport, or buy electric cars. It works well in Toronto but not so well here. People in rural areas don’t have a public transport option getting to work. Nor do people in suburban areas like Hammonds Plains.
Electric cars are not a good option in Nova Scotia. Most of the energy used to charge your car overnight comes from burning coal.
In 1971, as the youngest student in premed at Dalhousie, working full time 4 to 12 as emergency Orderly at IWK, I rented a small room in a flat with two African PhD Economics students.
One was from the Kenyan Kikuyu tribe.
Your op ed title is one of the tribes most famous ancient proverbs.
Kennedy Munavi would be quite upset by this cultural appropriation.
Other than this obvious correction, you wrote a generally useful article.
Reply from Bill Black:
I of course knew this to be African. I believe that it was current with much more broadly than one tribe.
Bill, good article! You were combining the isthmus and hydro power and I am now wondering if it was deliberate? In other words, NS could secure the rail connection and build a land based tidal power turbine to finally get power from the tides.
and hydro power and I am now wondering if it was deliberate? In other words, NS could secure the rail connection and build a land based tidal power turbine to finally get power from the tides. Hydro Quebec is tapped out and NFLD is a basket case.
I am a retired mechanical engineer with over 46 years of industrial and consulting experience here in Nova Scotia.
I enjoyed reading your column in the Chronicle Herald newspaper today.
As far as the carbon tax, I am still trying to get my mind around how this is supposed to help us really fight climate change.
Right from the beginning, the Trudeau government has been telling us that most families will get back more than we pay in for the tax.
But for people who don’t have a car and don’t drive, they also get the rebate. (???) So why do they get far more than they paid?
Is the idea to simply make us think about rising fuel costs every time we go to the pump, and therefore try to drive less?
Although I agree that we all should try and do something to lessen our carbon footprint, I am not so sure that getting Canada to zero CO₂ emissions will make that much difference.
Canada is a high per capita producer of greenhouse gases, but as a total of the world, a very small player.
We could go to zero greenhouse gas emissions, but if China, India and the USA don’t make big strides in reducing their output, in won’t make much difference. We all share the atmosphere. We can end up looking good, but not making much real difference.
As an engineer, I think we need to spend more resources in mitigating the effects of climate change.
If you have any comments on how this carbon tax is expected to work, I’d appreciate hearing them.
Conrad LeLièvre P.E | August 6, 2023 |
Thanks for your comment. In principle the tax should discourage consumption, so that people will drive less, use public transport, or buy electric cars. It works well in Toronto but not so well here. People in rural areas don’t have a public transport option getting to work. Nor do people in suburban areas like Hammonds Plains.
Electric cars are not a good option in Nova Scotia. Most of the energy used to charge your car overnight comes from burning coal.
Bill
Bill | August 6, 2023 |
In 1971, as the youngest student in premed at Dalhousie, working full time 4 to 12 as emergency Orderly at IWK, I rented a small room in a flat with two African PhD Economics students.
One was from the Kenyan Kikuyu tribe.
Your op ed title is one of the tribes most famous ancient proverbs.
Kennedy Munavi would be quite upset by this cultural appropriation.
Other than this obvious correction, you wrote a generally useful article.
Reply from Bill Black:
I of course knew this to be African. I believe that it was current with much more broadly than one tribe.
https://www.quora.com/Where-does-the-expression-When-elephants-fight-its-the-grass-that-suffers-come-from
Philip Thompson | August 5, 2023 |
Bill, good article! You were combining the isthmus and hydro power and I am now wondering if it was deliberate? In other words, NS could secure the rail connection and build a land based tidal power turbine to finally get power from the tides.
and hydro power and I am now wondering if it was deliberate? In other words, NS could secure the rail connection and build a land based tidal power turbine to finally get power from the tides. Hydro Quebec is tapped out and NFLD is a basket case.
Wayne | August 5, 2023 |