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John Rustad has been, to phrase it gently, a long-time climate change skeptic. The B.C. Conservative leader, who hopes to become the next premier of B.C., has a history of questioning human-caused climate change and consistently downplays the problems associated with global heating. But this week, when B.C.’s political landscape shifted, he began to backpedal, realizing his past statements might not be a selling feature for many British Columbians.
That shift, for those who were on vacation last week, occurred when Rustad’s rival on the right folded the BC United Party, leaving only two major parties competing in the October election. Most British Columbians will now choose between the Conservatives on the right and Premier David Eby’s left-leaning NDP. The Greens will capture votes here and there, but not enough to make much difference. Most ridings will be a two-way race.
With a realistic shot of winning in sight, Rustad immediately moved to walk back his long history of questioning the science underpinning climate change. In interviews this week, Rustad insisted he believes climate change is real, but quickly adds it’s not a crisis and wants to tackle crime, drugs and affordability problems first.
But ask yourself this: does this acknowledgement mean anything? How can anyone believe in climate change and not think it’s a problem large enough to bother tackling? They’d have to be blind to the news. They’d have to deny that 2023, Canada’s worst forest fire year ever, is linked to increased world temperatures. They’d have to brush off Phoenix’s 100-day run of days over 37.7C (100F) as a fluke. They’d have to come up with some other explanation for the growing number of megafires devastating California. Not to mention floods in China, heatwaves in Europe, droughts in Africa and somehow even the Arctic. I could go on, but frankly, it gets too depressing. What’s equally depressing is that this reality doesn’t seem to have quite sunk in with Rustad.
As recently as June 20th, he was adamant that scientists are still debating the degree of impact human activity has on climate change. We’re not sure who he talked to because there is every indication that’s not true. A 2021 study out of Cornell University found 99.9 per cent of more than 88,000 peer-reviewed papers conclude climate change is mainly caused by humans. And after 2023, the earth’s hottest year on record, that number might now be sitting at 100 per cent.
Rustad’s skeptical views about the role of humans in causing climate change would remain a personal issue if he was never in charge of climate policy. But he could be, if the BC Conservatives win, and polls done before the demise of BC United were showing an extremely close race.
There is every indication that if elected premier, Rustad will ignore mountains of evidence showing taxing pollution is the best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions driving up the temperatures on our planet. He wants none of it. The BC Conservatives are promising to take a sledge hammer to climate policy that they claim costs too much and stifles economic prosperity. Rustad is promising to immediately end B.C.’s gas tax (which would just bring the federal carbon tax into effect), ease greenhouse gas emissions tests that stand in the way of LNG development, and make it easier to log forests. Each of these moves, which encourage the burning and production of more fossil fuels and remove trees, our natural climate change warriors which absorb carbon dioxide and mitigate climate change, is a step in the wrong direction.
Actions speak louder than words. So, even if you believe Rustad when he says climate change is real and concedes humans may contribute to the problem, it is clear he’s not prepared to do much, if anything, about it. And given his history, you have to wonder if he really has changed his mind at all or is simply pandering to a voting public that is concerned about climate change and wants to elect leaders who think the same way.
Comments
Anything Conservatives do or say is skeptical. Let's not forget that that when put to a vote, the Conservative membership refuses to acknowledge that climate change is real. The about-face is a faux attempt to grab votes or some other hidden agenda. Wait for the flip-flop to occur once the current about-face serves it's purpose.
If he'd really had a major change in his belief system in his fifties, he would be that "convert more Catholic than the Pope". As the scales fell from his eyes, he would feel a powerful urge for, as the Catholics say, Mea Culpa. He'd go around apologizing for his past mistakes, his delays of action he now sees as needed.
It's the way they act like they're doing YOU a favour, "OK, OK, I'll sign on, whatever..." that galls me.
He gonna do an about face on his plan to cut billions from health care, too? Maybe. Should we believe it if he does? Absolutely not.
Re: "There is every indication that if elected premier, Rustad will ignore mountains of evidence showing taxing pollution is the best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions driving up the temperatures on our planet."
I have to comment on this claim. Given that we are still subsidizing fossil fuels to the tune of $7 trillion per year in direct and indirect subsidies (IMF 2023) (when are fossil fuel corporations going to end their century of receiving corporate welfare and start standing on their own two feet?), there is a very good chance that ending government (i.e., taxpayer) subsidies would be "the best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
And since we're still not taxing carbon at source (which would make fossil fuels unaffordable by making FF corporations pay the full costs of the social (health) and environmental damage and destruction their products cause), we're not even doing all we can with the carbon tax.
The last two and a half million years have been a ice age with glacial and interglacial periods. These have been governed by periodic changes in Earth's orbit and axial tilt. the current state of these cycles should have the Earth slowly cooling towards the next glacial period, yet the climate is rapidly warming. Therefore, humanity is responsible for more than all of the warming now taking place. We would have to cause some warming just to keep it even never mind make it even warmer.
In my mind to say climate change is real but not a crisis is still climate science denial.
Rustad's views haven't changed and I find it very hard to believe most BC voters aren't aware of them. So his and his party’s rise in the polls might tell us something about voters' views on climate change. They're perhaps convinced climate change is real, but either think nothing can be done or that they're little affected. Rather than laugh at Rustad, maybe address those views.