The proposed coal export terminal at Longview reminds me of a conversation the pilot relayed to his passengers after being tossed about in a storm: “The good news is, we’re making excellent time — the bad news is we’re lost.”
Exporting coal and oil to Asia is good news for large carbon energy producers but bad news for us. By continuing to rely on carbon-based fuel to power our economy, we are engaging in a destructive feedback loop that is slowly melting the frozen tundra in Alaska and Siberia, releasing methane — a global warming gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. As these tundra areas thaw, more methane is released, increasing atmospheric warming — leading to more methane being released, etc., etc.
By exporting coal and oil to Asia, we are blissfully heading down the wrong road — but unfortunately we’ve run out of time.
Bill Barkley
Vancouver
