Conservative MP Peter Braid, my MP, broke ranks and admitted that this weather we're having here and elsewhere is definitely linked to climate change. Is this another sign the party is beginning to crumble?
I've seen an environmental side to Braid much earlier on, and I always wondered how he fit in with the Conservative Party of Canada. Now I wonder how - or whether - he'll continue to fit in.
But I've also seen him answer questions in a very politician-y way: saying many words, yet not really answering the question being asked.
Time will tell if this 20 seconds of rebellion will affect anything in the party or in his career.
I've seen an environmental side to Braid much earlier on, and I always wondered how he fit in with the Conservative Party of Canada. Now I wonder how - or whether - he'll continue to fit in.
But I've also seen him answer questions in a very politician-y way: saying many words, yet not really answering the question being asked.
Time will tell if this 20 seconds of rebellion will affect anything in the party or in his career.
5 comments:
Unfortunately, Marie, they have so many layers of fallback that what at first appears to be a significant concessions later turns out to be incredibly muted. How do you think Braid would have reacted to a follow up question of whether Canada should be maximizing the extraction and export of high-carbon fossil fuels, especially coal and bitumen?
That's what I'm waiting to see - how committed he is to his newly voiced acknowledgement of climate change.
Piece in Canada Free Press today:
Conservative MP Braid must learn from real scientists before speaking out on climate change
By Tom Harris
Appearing on CBC News Network’s Power and Politics on Monday, Conservative MP (Kitchener-Waterloo) and Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Communities, Peter Braid linked recent extreme weather events to climate change. This was a serious mistake.
Climate change has little if anything to do with recent extreme weather. This is one of the few areas of agreement between the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC).
Read whole piece here: http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/60294
Good on you, Marie! You scored a hit from the infamous Tom Harris. He must figure you're one of the few still not onto him.
The IPCC report lists extensively each type of extreme weather and their level of confidence for each one with respect to its relationship to climate change. The article just takes the ones weakly linked, but there are others strongly linked (from The Telegraph): "In future it is “virtually certain” that most land areas will experience more heatwaves and warmer weather, although occasional extremely cold winters will still occur. Extreme weather events such as droughts and flooding will become more common as a result of the “unequivocal” warming of the climate, a major report has warned.The contrast between wet and dry areas will increase, while the area covered by monsoons is likely to expand. Britain will most likely see wetter winters and drier summers..."
There's a good bit on real scientists here, and a bit of Jon Stewart just for fun.
@Mound - Thanks for the heads up!
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