Summary: Be prepared to pay more for something that been happening natuarally for billions of years.

How to Conserve "Create an On Line Tool to prevent you from Booking Trips to Hawaii and Mexico and for the Guys in Ottawa ,No more Trips to Afghanistan for anyone, that would be a Start!

Mankind has not been around for millions of years and the pollution of our air, water and soil by the burning of fossil fuels by the billions of tons annually is in fact a recent man made problem.

Oh, lest I forget: I am NOT confusing global warming and pollution! I know that they are believed to be (by some people) to be separate phenomena, but even if there is no connection (I think there is) we should acknowledge that we must not continue to pollute our environment the way we have been doing, global warming or not.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all those who post at and read Opinion250!

Anyone hear of climategate. Tens of billions chasing bad science. But jump on the train if no morals and make a bunch of money. But the tracks end at a cliff that is coming into sight.

Nice recommendations - tax us more, buy a second car and take out loans to buy solar panels. Maybe you can afford to be green, diplomat, but most of us can't. If being "green" is worth $100 000/year to you, you can lead by example and open up your wallet. And by the way, get your facts straight - pollution and climate change ARE 2 different things.

Merry Christmas, be happy for a few days!

Outwest and seamutt are on the money. Somewhere along the line, in the last 20 years or so, the dialogue on stopping pollution moved to a climate/taxation/nwo discussion.

There are technologies available to minimize pollution. As for climatology the science is not precise. There are too many models and CAUSATION has not been established. Fight further taxation and don't allow elitists to control the flow of money(tax dollars). That money belongs to all of us. Our freedom is in the ability to choose. Those freedoms are being eroded, little by little. Encourage better use of "clean" energy technologies. Taxation is not a solution. The sky isn't falling. Just hold governments accountable and don't be fooled by fear tactics. Step back and seek truth. Identify the true problem and solve it. A problem will not be solved by throwing more money at it.

Merry Christmas! (Happy Holidays to the rest!!)

"1) Local Food Development 2) Transportation 3) Waste Reduction/Diversion/Waste Energy 4) Low Carbon Economy 5) Green Energy."

Excellent blueprint for a less polluted future!

BTW: Smithers/Telkwa had an air advisory yesterday! High concentration of fine particulates! People are being advised to stay indoors, especially those with breathing problems! Burning of wood prohibited unless there is no other source of heat.

It might still be in effect.

Pretty bad if people have no freedom to spend time in the great outdoors...Our freedom is in the ability to choose.

Sure, but government has to play a role in discouraging industries and people from making choices which are detrimental to the population in general.

Google good ol' Maurice Strong. He is into "global warming". He is kinda more concerned about it than those just fretting over the poor little polar bears.For some reason I'm glad he is 78 years old. He is Canadian and he lives in China.

Isn't it interesting that those who've made the largest fortunes causing the most environmental damage, always seem to be in the forefront in wanting penalties imposed on everyone else for THEIR past sins?

Thanks Harbinger for the suggestion to Google Maurice Strong!

I did and it was well worth the time to visit his site.

"1. Expand use of taxes to encourage positive behaviour change."
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That might have some small justification in the so-called "sin taxes" on non-necessary luxuries, like liquor or cigarettes.

But it's utterly ridiculous to tax people more on the necessities of life where there are few, or no, viable alternatives.

And especially when there is already a clear shortage of visible Consumer purchasing power vis a vis prices of articles already 'on the market' but incapable of being purchased without escalating debt.

If our political masters are so anxious to reduce our 'carbon footprint' why do they not make it possible for us to fully 'financially' pay for what we've done from what we done? That's certainly the way we do it 'physically'. But it's currently far from being the case 'financially'.

Increasingly the flow of financial costs and prices exceeds the flow of effective purchasing power released as income to the consuming public within each cycle of production.

Under this flawed system of orthodox financial policy the only option offered society to bridge this gap is to incur further debt which becomes an inflationary charge against future production. Taxes only make this situation worse.

What is required to establish true financial liquidity is to establish a price-system that is truly self-liquidating through issuing a supplementary flow of consumer credits.

Issued in augmentation to earned incomes, without incurring new debt as National (Consumer) Dividends to all citizens, and also to retailers so that they may charge lower retail prices (Compensated Prices) at point of sale.

This would ensure that industry has genuine and effective consumer demand where they offer desired products, that consumers would always have immediate and total access, without incurring debt, to the full flow of consumer products from industry and that, through final retail sales, business would always be able to liquidate bank loans originally issued to finance production.

The proper purpose of production is to serve consumers--not industry, not the State and not the banking system. It is to provide desired goods and services--and most certainly not to provide more "work" or "employment." We'll never be able to limit any deleterious effects of man on his environment through the imposition of more taxes. That will only be found to add to the problem, not correct it.