Climate Change
In the past few years there has been more talk of climate change than any other natural phenomena in history. Drought, famine, tropical storms are all being linked to global warming. I’ve done some research on the subject and have come to realize that some of the climate change dialogue is mostly fearmongering.
I looked up on Wikipedia that records of the earth’s average temperature were documented to be rising in the 1700’s, long before the industrial age. Also in the 1600’s there was in North America the introduction of chicken pox by European immigrants. Many of the local residents of the area had no resistance to the disease and passed away in huge numbers. These people were generally farming types who had large plots of land and grew their own corn and vegetables. This was in the pre-horse era and farming was how they lived. With that, apparently they used spring burns to clean off the farm areas. This resulted in many years of no tree growth thus adding to the climate warming. Also in this time period there was a huge volcanic eruption which covered the earth’s atmosphere with smoke and ash. Over the years this acted as a reversal and created a mini ice age. Having reasoned this information out it seems reasonable to assume that without global warming we would still be living in the past ice age (or not living). This is not to say that there can’t be things done. It doesn’t seem reasonable to assume we could reverse climate change but I believe there are things we could do to slow the process.
The vast majority of conversation about climate change is in the negative. The earth is warming, we are doomed, the petro chemical industry is to blame, solar and wind are the only way to combat this plague.
Solar and wind are an ideal way for an individual family or small community to help save some money on energy, but it’s not 24/7 and with our winter temperatures here in Saskatchewan it would be inappropriate to have no heat in the winter months.
Where we live our natural gas is piped in underground, via a pipeline. We do not at present have a reasonable alternative for home heating on a large scale. Burning wood or coal, as you probably know, is a major factor in the process of carbon.
What I will do is give some examples of what may, in some small way, help the situation.
When it comes to tree harvest, we have for ages engaged in a clear cut method which is done to maximize production, minimize injuries and produce some real shitty lumber. Select cut may not be as profitable but it would be the right thing to do. Harvesting mature trees that are nearing the end of their life cycle and leaving the younger growth room and time to grow and absorb carbon for years to come.
I was at an energy production conference 10 or 15 years ago. One of the talking points was that 25 years from that time Saskatchewan would need a complete overhaul of their electrical generation capabilities. Everything on line at that time would be at end of life by 2030-2035.
We have been toying with solar power and wind generation. Both of these systems require sunshine which is a 40% viability at best. Wind is not much better. They are energy efficient but they are high maintenance and not a 24/7 reliability. Under energy production rules, power companies must have 30% production capability spinning but not engaged. Because of this, solar and wind do not allow SaskPower to take anything offline so more infrastructure and high power prices.
Our most energy efficient least carbon emitting option according to the technology available would be a nuclear power plant. This was also a talking point at the power seminars. The idea was to build a reactor in the Fort McMurray area on the border with Alberta. There was also to be an underground storage for spent fuel rods. These rods would be packed in clay which would stop leaching. I was interested to hear that over a period of 300-400 years the spent fuel rods would transform itself into plutonium and be reusable in another reactor. We have the uranium in this province, all we need is a centrifuge. For those who worry about radioactive productive getting into the wrong hands this would keep the risk to a minimum.
Because we have the power infrastructure in the Estevan area that is coal fired, would it not be realistic to install a reactor in the area and phase out the coal over a number of years.
If we could produce and possibly sell power to other customers. At present we do not share power with Alberta and BC this could be substantially decrease our C02 output.
Lower cost power could open the door to many climate friendly initiatives. We all know that trees absorb C02 as they grow and are one of the best ways to reduce carbon emissions. That being said, if trees are allowed to die and decay they release as much carbon as they absorbed during their growth cycle.
If trees were planted on the perimeter of seeded acreage it would help trap snow for moisture and absorb C02. There is also a market for fast growing poplar trees that could reach a harvestable size in 5-6 years. This would allow landowners to get some return on their windbreaks.
That kind of growth would be greatly assisted with irrigation. We have the availability to irrigate thousands of acres of land here in Central Saskatchewan.
The houses we built today are not the houses of yesteryear. Took around at some of the old brick and stone structures that have been there for a century already and still stand straight and square. Bricks were and could be made in the Estevan area. This would help offset the job losses from shutting down the Coal Fired Generators. If we were producing low cost energy efficient power we could produce brick type building materials and help lower carbon emissions.
We could also use metal studs to fabricate interior walls and doorways. Steel is recyclable and we have the capability of producing it using electricity as a heat source. So here we are capable of turning somebody’s old 95 Massey into viable metal building material; which by the way would be recyclable if need be in the future.
By forming and installing Z-bars to your brick walls wiring, plumbing and insulation can easily be installed, a major difference from the old cold brick houses of the past. This will not be cheap but it is perhaps the right thing to do.
All over the world populations are increasing and because of this increase more and more pressure is put on the land to grow more food for more people. It is fairly clear to me that it is imperative that we move forward rapidly with any and all irrigation possibilities we can come up with.
Man has never been able to control the weather. Hurricanes, tidal waves, earthquakes, tornadoes, plough winds, you name it they happen and we have no control over them. So why do we think we can stop an unstoppable force. We must do what we can, like world governments stopping the demolition of the rain forests. Use any and every possible opportunity to save water in bodies on land and utilizing it for crop growth.
Gord Pattison
Delisle, SK
