Scrapping Environmentalism

Whenever something has “ism” attached to it, it becomes a movement, a belief, a group: environmentalism, communism, Catholicism, chauvinism, a schism. Sometimes it has negative connotations and sometimes positive, but almost every ism groups something so that people will be for it or against.

So what’s the problem with environmentalism? That like many movements or beliefs the fad can wax and wane, be popular for a while and then fade away. Environmentalism shouldn’t be a fad but a way of life, if we want a sustainable and renewable world. Unfortunately, it has taken an environmental movement to get most governments to move on the abuses happening to the environment. It may already be too late in some ways for the world and people. But Ma Nature has a way of reasserting herself, even if it takes the dying off of a millions of people.

A month or so ago the federal government decided to scrap environmental reviews for any project under $10 million to bring about economic stimulus. So go ahead, you logging companies, wipe out a forested mountain. Who cares if the topsoils disappears and there are mudslides as long as it comes in at $9,999,999.00? Go ahead, you chemical and pharmaceutical companies. Toss your sewage and unrefined wastes into the river systems. Who cares if it raises the temperature and kills the fish? Who cares if our kids are getting breasts at the age of six from all the drugs?

No problem for Harper’s government. We don’t need reviews because the environment was only in the public’s mind until it was supplanted by the newest crisis–the economy. And as we’ve often seen, governments and politicians don’t always do what’s right but what will garner them the vote. Although the Conservatives still live in the shadow of a minority government, they know that most people are sick of all the elections and feel a little more secure in these proclamations though the opposition parties could still pull them down.

In fact, our government has taken these new environmental assessment regulations a step further by foregoing the constitution which requires consultation with Aboriginal groups if it could impact the various treaties. As well, they’re required to post the changes to give the public and affected groups time to comment but as has been a hallmark of Harper’s tightfisted, overcontrolling ways, none of these required steps happened. The government changed the Environmental Assessment Act without any consultation.

I’ve been critical of Harper’s late jumping onto the environmental bandwagon and only doing it to bring in votes. Unfortunately, even the previous federal governments did little as everyone ignored the impact on our environment and the Kyoto Protocol, first signed by many nations around 1998. My criticism still holds true that Harper’s minions seem to be playing the most popular game and in the smokescreen of economic concerns our natural resources could suffer.

Sad times when money and making money yet again mean letting slip the controls and level of doing things right. And worrying times when our government feels it doesn’t need to follow the rules that governments themselves have put into affect.

An assessment by U of Calgary’s Faculty of Law: http://ablawg.ca/2009/03/31/the-eviscerating-of-federal-environmental-assessment-in-canada/

http://cambridgevoice.ca/archives/prentice-confirms-cuts-planned-to-environment-reviews/