An article by David Suzuki with contributions from the David Suzuki Foundation Communications and editorial specialist Ian Hanington suggests we need to pay attention when elected officials devote more effort to creating opportunities for fossil fuel industries than for the people who elect them, especially when industrial growth comes at a cost to public interest.
The fossil fuel industry is the most profitable in history, and even though it continues to receive massive taxpayer-funded subsidies in Canada, the U.S., and other countries, its executives are reluctant to spend money if they don’t have to because that would cut into profits.
Suzuki contends that we can’t expect to get reliable information from the industry where the priority is to promote its own interests. And we can’t expect much better from governments which are often led by people who are more interested in their own short-term interests, based on election cycles.
Countries need a better plan than just getting as much oil, gas, and coal as fast as possible. Slower and wiser development of these resources and better ways to manage the money they generate could help Canada and others make the shift to cleaner energy.
Human Factor 