The only currently viable alternatives are nuclear or hydro power projects
To the Expositor:
Imagine if you will, the following medical emergency occurring here on Manitoulin Island.
It is midmorning and a man returns home to call in on his wife who wasn’t feeling particularly well that morning. He finds her on the floor and semi-conscious. 911 is called, an ambulance is dispatched and she is in the local hospital in short order, stabilized and diagnosed with a serious heart ailment. The air ambulance service is called and she is transported to Sudbury and under specialized care that afternoon.
The entire sequence of rescue events described above are made possible by the use of fossils fuels. Not just the fuel to power the vehicles and the air ambulance, but a whole myriad of equipment and items derived from petroleum products. Even the phone call to activate the events relies heavily on these products from the plastics to make phone components to the insulation used for the communications cable. I might also mention that in the event of power grid problems, emergency generators would have kicked in to provide reliable power to enable the medical staff to continue their life saving work uninterrupted.
Could something like this happen? It did! Countless variations of this event are unfolding all the time here and across the country.
If we look at activities supporting our families here on the Island, here is a very truncated list.
Transport, the largest single employer on the Island. Diesel fuel powers this industry.
Farming, perhaps, would rival transportation if a count was made of all contributing family members as well as the amateurs who dabble in the industry as a hobby. Diesel fuel drives the modern farm.
Fishing, not so many sailing ships in the fleet. If there were any, an auxiliary engine would be present.
Tourist industry, they get here by road and by boat/ship. Almost exclusively powered by fossil fuels.
When we are not engaged in these types of activities, we return home and adjust the thermostat, thus ensuring a comfortable environment in our home to enjoy the evening. Chances are, the thermostat controls a furnace powered by fuel oil or propane. If electric, the power used is likely nuclear power and load swings are stabilized by the use of fast reacting natural gas fired turbines. Almost everything we do is made possible by the fossil fuel industry. Cheap, plentiful and reliable energy has transformed our lot from one where misery and poverty were the norm to a situation where life expectancy is in the 80s.
Most of what I am writing here about fossil fuels has been inspired by a book by Alex Epstein entitled ‘The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels.’ He outlines a very logical and sound basis for the continued use of fossil fuels. Leaving our situation for a moment, he points to the developing world where hunger and disease condemn many to a miserable existence and premature death. What will lift these people from their plight? The answer is energy that is cheap, plentiful and reliable. Explain to a doctor in Indonesia that he has several options to power his new clinic. Solar cells, a wind turbine, or a diesel generator are available. The answer to his energy needs is clear and unequivocal, the diesel generator is the only option that can deliver reliable power in his situation.
The campaign to dramatically curb our use of fossil fuels is a direct assault on our quality of life and an assault on the economic system that has provided us with so much. It also condemns billions in the developing world to a life of hardship and misery.
The green movement has based its assault on fossil fuels around the global warming issue. The rhetoric and posturing have been impressive. The science and the logic behind all the hysteria, not so much.
The moral case for the continued use of fossil fuels is a strong one. As alternate sources of energy are developed and proven, we will naturally look to them for future sources of power.
Has any “green” organization ever supported the development of a hydro or a nuclear power project? They are currently the only viable alternative to fossil fuel energy capable of delivering reliable and cost effective power to the grid.
Shane Desjardins
Mindemoya
