B.C.'s wildfires and fossil fuels: We need to connect the dots

Selina Robinson is a disgraced former cabinet minister notorious for her ignorant, racist tirades supporting genocide, unhinged islamophobia, antisemitic attacks on anti-genocide Jews, and near total ignorance of world history.

So why is this 'news' start-up Sikta Media platforming her toxic sludge? Is anyone actually interested?

Examples:
https://www.sitkamedia.ca/robinson-a-strong-leader-must-handle-the-noise/

https://www.sitkamedia.ca/robinson-racism-in-bcs-anti-racism-committee/

Fossil fuel emissions from transportation are three times as bad as those from residential in this country. Yet when it comes to decarbonisation, the coverage focuses on building the east-west grid (mainly for LNG production and genAI hyperslop centres), heat pumps (residential) and EVs, while actually building the multimodal mobility green infrastructure (electric railways, trams, bike lanes) – that enhance communities, improve public safety, and would meaningfully address the carbon emissions problem – is largely ignored.

Is there any cure for car-brain? A liveable planet depends on finding one.

They recently claimed: "Majority back Westcoast natural gas project," but their questionnaire began with the climate vs economy false dichotomy favoured by big oil propagandists, tainting the results. This isn't the first time Angus Reid has tipped the scales towards extinctionism. Compromised journalists keep lapping it up.

Source: https://angusreid.org/pipeline-politics-majority-back-westcoast-lng-project-half-say-ottawa-should-be-pushing-harder-on-the-file/

In light of the reality that voters don't give a toss about electric buses and prefer electric trains 100% of the time in 100% of straw polls, here are some interesting observations on railway nationalization in the netherlands.

"💳 You can travel anywhere in the Netherlands using your contactless bankcard to tap in and out if you want - and fares are distance based not ‘how much is it going to be this time?’🫣. Accompanied under-12s travel get unlimited free travel.

🚉 Stations are categorised by usage (cathedral / mega / plus / basic / stop ) with levels of facilities provided accordingly - so you know what you can expect

👩🏾‍💻 Design of stations and trains is grown up, rational and carefully designed for ease of use (no talking toilets and SPADtastic train liveries here)

🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Meaningful devolution of local rail services (not one-sided ‘partnerships’) is a right not a privilage

💨 Entirely powered by wind energy (you can watch the turbines powering your train from the train window)

Yes the Netherlands is a lot smaller and our starting point is different.

But you only get the benefits of nationalisation if you go for it properly - with the aim of emulating the best of what a publicly owned railway can do for people and place."

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jonathan-bray-28807414_rail-nationalisation-share-7463142905344376833-WUY4/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAADjpcYB9G3VJO-F6PhGFavwobarU6Dfh-g

>Figueres said legally binding agreements were not enough to tackle the health harms of the climate crisis, recalling how Canada exited the Kyoto agreement just before facing billions in penalties for failing to meet its emissions targets.

>“They simply sent me a letter and said, ‘Madam executive secretary, hereby, Canada removes itself from the Kyoto protocol.’ So having a legally binding agreement does not guarantee at all that any country would comply.”

She said she believed change was more likely to come from a combination of legal pressure, scientific evidence and what she described as appealing to the “enlightened self-interest” of governments and corporations.

“That is why it is important to to lay bare the consequences of inaction,” Figueres said, adding: “Companies should understand for their business continuation, they should reduce emissions. Governments should understand that in order for them to stabilise their economy, and protect their people, they should reduce emissions.

“I just think that enlightened self-interest based on scientific facts – which is what the commission is going to put forward – is a much more effective route to emission reductions than a legally binding agreement from which anybody can withdraw.”

"Governments are entitled to reorder priorities. They are not entitled to pretend the reordering has not occurred. Canadians can weigh military procurement against climate adaptation, pipelines against climate diplomacy, continental trade against multilateral engagement. But they should be asked to do so openly in Parliament, on the record."

https://lloydaxworthy.substack.com/p/an-empty-chair-at-santa-marta