The Big Gamble

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost


In many cases, when actions are taken, it takes a lot of time to start seeing results. The federal government showed it's not willing to wait for those results as it has decided that much of the research that has been done on climate change by the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences (CFCAS) is not enough to warrant the renewing of its funding. The writing has been on the wall for years though. The foundation has not received new money ever since the Harper government took office.

Furthermore, climate-change scientists have been on their toes following a succession of actions that highlights this government's realignment in priorities. These actions almost double as a declaration of war to climate-change research. The latest of these moves has been the muzzling of Environment Canada where answers from the department are now vetted by government officers. As a result, the number of interviews and requests has dropped by over 80% according to documents from Environment Canada.

It's obvious our decision-makers have decided they no longer trust scientists to do their jobs properly. The fact that certain aspects of climate change are still being contested gives the Harper government ammunitions to keep on undermining the incoming incremental evidence. In its conduct, the government is saying that if at first scientists cannot bring undeniable proof, then it will deny the proof. In doing so, the government effectively neutralizes any chances of progress and uses the quagmire as evidence that the scientists' work is irrelevant and a waste of money.

The Harper government could be right in keeping tabs on certain agencies to make sure public funds are well spent. But the larger picture points to a worrying trend. As funding for basic climate-change research is getting slashed, more money is being poured into applied research such as projects that aim at reducing the environmental impact of oil sands (just saying). Canada is giving up on its lead in researches that could create new industries to instead concentrate on getting the most out of aging and dying industries.

In comparison, Science agencies in the United States have seen an increase in their share of the latest budget as the Obama administration tries to spur innovation. The United States will be looking into growing a market for renewable energy. Wind, solar and hydroelectric solutions will therefore be brought into prominence south of the border.

At the very least, our neighbors will pour resources into finding cheap energy alternatives such as clean coal and nuclear energy. By promoting clean and renewable energy, the United States are promoting the development of an economy that runs on new foundations. These bases will become the ground of partnerships with other countries taking similar approach. Once markets such as China and the EU take the plunge, the rest of the world will have no choice but to follow. Of course, Canada could have been ahead of the curve.

But I suspect we will learn the hard way that in a competitive world, the status quo is hardly ever the right decision.