There is an absurdity to life that can be difficult to comprehend. There is an absence of purpose for why it exists, we exist, which we constantly seek answers to, and the net result is that we relentlessly look to create and find meaning to life. Beyond our simple primal instinct to survive, one could infer that there is a sense of futility that we seek to overcome.
We have forged our systems of beliefs and ideologies to allay these feelings of senselessness. They help by giving us comfort, faith, hope, and a sense of purpose. They help to unite and divide us, as they form part of our social bases, giving us an impression of belonging. This is very much the case with politics, and we can witness the political divisiveness, a schism, which has befallen Alberta – the carbon tax – eliciting irrational responses from both extremes.
People seem to have forgotten that the oil and gas sector in Alberta has been on the defensive for nearly a decade from sources outside of our province, claiming it as ‘dirty oil.’ Though the Stelmach government had tried to put together a ‘green strategy,’ it was not very successful in assuaging those green interests. The Notley government, however, put together a plan with both industry and the environmental movement that has shown to have a chance of being successful. But like all tax-based plans, this idea has faced resistance, as the people, regardless of its economic strategy, will carry the burden.
On the environmental side, they seem to have won a Pyrrhic victory, due to the social and economic costs to Alberta in the short-term, which may not produce any long-term benefits for the province either. The economic hurdles that Alberta faces are not likely to attract Green Technology Investment without the exploitation of its energy sector.
The reason we are in this predicament is because of the demonization of greenhouse gases and our oil industry. All oil is ‘dirty,’ regardless of where it comes from, as it is a hydrocarbon, thus leads to CO2 production in one form or another. It is ironic, however, that the rest of Canada has discredited our oil solely on this basis. It ignores the transportation issues of getting oil to Eastern Canada from other parts of the globe, or the social impact of human rights atrocities that are supported through the purchase of this oil.
Furthermore, the production of energy in any form has a negative impact upon our environment, and we need that energy to survive in this world. We currently need oil and gas too, for it will take at least a generation to wean ourselves off these resources because of their importance to the economies of the globe. And herein lies the absurdity: there are inconsistencies, contradictions, and hypocrisies within all social orders. All this divisiveness that one sees in the media is truly a futile endeavour; no one ever wins in an ideological fight.
John Kennair is an international consultant and doctor of laws who lives in St. Albert.
