tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1710228798415703303.post6124146842843124544..comments2024-03-28T20:15:47.564-04:00Comments on Toronto to Ra'anana: Ethical Oil by Ezra Levant - A ReviewUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1710228798415703303.post-78157250647705916082011-11-16T05:03:43.110-05:002011-11-16T05:03:43.110-05:00Thanks for the comments. I agree with much of wha...Thanks for the comments. I agree with much of what you have said.<br /><br />I have not detailed his environmental arguments, though they are important. He does address the various environmental problems caused by the tar sands but also looks at and compares those problems to - specifically - the environmental problems created by other oil producers - and by other current forms of energy - including nuclear. He doesn't argue that future dependence on more oil is a good thing; But he does argue that while we need it now and we have a big source of it - it is better to get it from a democratic country like Canada that at least has some rules in place to minimize environmental damage to the extent possible and to regulate many other areas.<br /><br />His discussion of Greenpeace is quite interesting and I have not provided a full summary of it. <br /><br />The book is not an attack on the various issues that you mention - public transit, finding other sources of energy etc., though there is a section addressing the high cost and minimal efficiency (to date) of wind power - along with the damage it causes to birds in many areas (as compared to the damage caused by the tar sands). The book is also not a blanket rant, singing the praises of oil and downplaying global warming - even if Levant and many of his colleagues might believe or advocate that the problem does not exist. Essentially, in this book, he is saying, right now - the world is buying and consuming tons of oil. We are not about to stop that in the short term. Even though we may be dealing with these non-environmental issues far too late, it would be much better for Canada, for the U.S. and for the world, for some many reasons, if more of that oil came from Alberta rather than Saudi Arabia. I find this argument to be attractive even if Levant is somewhat of a political partisan.Ranana Revellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14496305894079297147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1710228798415703303.post-44730365382456266912011-11-15T23:38:17.372-05:002011-11-15T23:38:17.372-05:00I agree with the basic hypothesis of this book: th...I agree with the basic hypothesis of this book: that we "should take into account a variety of political and other considerations, rather than environmental considerations alone" when judging potential sources of energy.<br /><br />Actually, in some political circles (certainly not Ezra Levant's) this is nothing new. The environmentalists, for one, were pointing out some of those other considerations - in their lists of reasons to reduce our dependence on oil - a long time ago. But no one really cared. Actually, the very issues that Ezra has discovered in this book, including ""treatment of workers, accountability of the oil companies, operation within a legal framework, and where the profits go" were the sort of considerations that would illicit disdain from those in Ezra's political circles.<br /><br />No, I don't remember all these issues getting much traction until 9/11 and wars in Afghanistan and Iraqi revealed a domestic cost to these considerations, and suddenly the geo-political issues became real. Even more recently, people started pointing out the enormous environmental issues with the oil sands, and the defenders of the oil sands discovered the whole range of ethical issues involved in our support for many of the biggest oil regimes.<br /><br />Well, I'm sorry to write in this sarcastic, disdainful, tone, but I feel as though it is their self-interest and not their concern for the issues that has finally brought them around to recognizing, rather then sneering at, these considerations.<br /><br />Moving on, you mention that Ezra "is not afraid to tackle the environmental impact of tar sands development," but I don't see how this is possible... given that the biggest environmental issue involved is global warming and the organizations and media outlets that Ezra Levant is associated with appear* to think that man made global warming is a hoax.<br /><br />(*I say 'appear to think' because they have in recent years fallen into the cowardly but politically safe habit of attacking everything to do with global warming science and action plans, while avoiding explicit denial.)<br /><br />Some other minor points...<br />- Regarding Greenpeace, it is important to note that they are an environmental group. I would expect them to focus on the environmental aspects of oil, as opposed to geo-political, social, etc. That is their job.<br />- He might have wanted to follow his chapter about Saudi Arabia's lobbying efforts with a chapter about the Koch brothers' war against anything that stops them from polluting, particularly the idea of global warming. Both are fine examples of the inordinate political power of money, but I doubt that either really belong in this book.<br /><br />And yet, in the end I still agree with the book's thesis: that all these factors should be considered. But while Levant seems to believe that this means that we should depend more on an energy source that is destroying our planet (but happens to be lining the pockets of Ezra's buddies) many of us still think that this means we should try to reduce our overall dependence on oil. Even if that means building more public transit, taxing oil at the pump, developing wind and solar energy, and other socialist ideas. <br /><br />(BTW, I know Ezra Levant to be a political partisan - not someone I would look to for insight or objectivity on any political topic - but I don't know his positions specifically so I make the lazy assumption that he shared much of the political history as his fellow partisans. Perhaps I do him an injustice, but really, it is hard to imagine him talking about 'ethical' sources of oil before it became political useful for him.)Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17134137228523694876noreply@blogger.com