A notable column in the Star Phoenix from Bruce Johnstone, as he chastises Premier Wall’s “grandstanding” and for having no plan to deal with climate change. Wall called the plan, […] a “betrayal” of the PM’s promise to develop a collaborative climate change policy with the provinces. This despite the
Continue readingTag: coal
Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Foreseeable Future of Oil
Cameron MacGillivray, the president and CEO of Enform, says he’s not hearing [a year and a half ago] many concerns about the job market of the future. Rather than getting questions about the oil and gas industry prospects, he says he is asked about what kinds of jobs are most
Continue readingThings Are Good: China is Getting Serious about Climate Change
China rightfully gets a lot of flak for its environmental policies; they are listening and acting on received criticism. Previously we noted that China started to close coal plants and that there is increased concern about climate change in the country. Over at Grist magazine they have catalogued seven ways
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: A Tax on Everything Is Coming
Run for the hills! .@CNN #PriceOnCarbon article: "because we've been so slow to act on this crisis, bold action is now required" https://t.co/PvV1Y1oFdM — Pembina Institute (@Pembina) October 5, 2016 I realize several people who I’m friends with, think Premier Wall is great for Saskatchewan. I’ve never held a high
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Saskatchewan Leads World in Carbon Pollution
This isn’t breaking news, I brought it to you years ago, but a new report reconfirms the problem. Is it any wonder when the Premier has people defending our pollution: @stangea The atmosphere doesn't care about per capita. It reacts to the totality of global emissions. @PremierBradWall @SaskPowerCCS #skpoli —
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading.
– Brendan Duke examines the connection between wage growth and worker productivity, and makes the case that the former may lead to the latter:
The 1929–1950 increase in wages was at first a result of several policies that directly raised workers’ wages, including the first federal minimum wage, the first federal overtime law, and the National Labor Relations Act, which made it easier for workers to join a union and bargain with their employers. The entry of the United States into World War II further drove investment higher, as the economy converted into what Gordon describes as a “maximum production regime.”
It is striking that during this period of rapid productivity growth, wages for production workers grew even faster than productivity growth did. The current debate about whether a typical worker’s compensation has kept track with the economy’s productivity typically envisions productivity growth as the precondition for wage growth. But Gordon’s research implies that the relationship can go both ways: Not only can productivity growth raise wages, but higher real wages also can boost productivity growth—the main reason for slow gross domestic product growth—by giving firms a reason to purchase capital.
Can higher wages raise productivity growth in 2017? Basic economic theory and common sense suggests that an increase in the price of labor—wages—achieved through higher labor standards will cause firms to invest in more capital, raising the economy’s productivity.
– Guy Caron points out that international tax agreements which should serve to facilitate enforcement are instead allowing the greedy rich to evade meaningful taxes everywhere, while the Star argues that no corporation should be able to avoid social responsibilities through sweetheart tax deals. And James Wright warns of an impending deal on services which may tie the hands of governments seeking to work in the public interest more directly than any existing trade agreement.
– James Walsh reports on the devastating effects of the UK Conservatives’ efforts to push people out of social housing – which will of course sound far too familiar for many in Saskatchewan.
– Finally, Michelle Chen comments on the gigantic ecological deficit being imposed on future generations through unchecked climate change, while David Roberts discusses the environmental devastation (and cleanup costs) which figure to be borne by the public as the coal industry ceases to be viable. And Brent Patterson highlights a noteworthy study on the lasting effects of the Husky oil spill in the North Saskatchewan River.
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Buying Coal Time, Burns Ours
2. Because if coal's "demise" is anything like Big Tobacco's, the industry didn't shut down after lawmakers' cracked down some. — Saskboy (@saskboy) August 26, 2016 Man bites dog:#Coal industry executive in secret meeting tells allies to stop denying #climatechange.https://t.co/fpiO0EfDBd — Tim Ream (@ourcarbon) August 26, 2016 Zimmerman seized on Reavey’s “poor/no science” line when […]
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: SaskPower Correcting the Record Feels Like Lying
Semantics! Q remains: USGov says coal+CCS twice price of wind & gas; why did @SaskPower select most expensive first? https://t.co/4pGTaVhOmx — SaskWind (@SaskWind) June 24, 2016 Letter: carbon capture project doesn't double cost of electricity Mike Marsh, president and CEO of Sask-Power, writes: …The technology at Boundary Dam is the first of its kind and, […]
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Leader Post Sees Coal Future As Reality
The Leader Post published my letter, and a couple weeks later Murray Mandryk cites the same inexplicable 30-40 years canard. He also makes the same conclusion as Johnstone, which is to not cut our losses on the project. “Even some strident environmental groups recognize clean coal technology” Can anyone name even one? “replacement of dirty […]
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.- Neil Irwin writes about the White House Council of Economic Advisers’ study of employment policy which found that superior protections for workers (rather than the undermining of employment standards in the name…
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Take Your Mind Off Things
Sometimes The Beaverton really understands me. This morning on CBC Morning Edition, Sheila Coles had Mark Jacobson as a guest. He’s a Stanford professor who I mentioned in my letter to the editor a couple weeks ago. Anyway, I learned a lot of great points about transitioning to a Wind, Water, Solar (WWS) electrical system […]
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Gas Production, not Power Byproduct
This clip makes it seem as if CCS is more about producing gas to enhance oil recovery, and not so much about trapping a dangerous byproduct of dirty electricity production. As a result of the renegotiation though, Cenovus is not required to take 100 per cent of the C02 output, meaning less revenue coming into […]
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.- Sherri Torjman discusses how the the gig economy is based mostly on evading protections for workers – and how the both employment law and social programs need to catch up:Much of the labour market is morphing in…
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Oil’s Four Letter Word Defender
Brad Wall seems to only ever be speaking to oil executives about oil and gas. Does he understand anything else? Are there any examples of our Premier meeting recently with organizations other than Big Oil and Gas? Anytime he’s trying to boost the province’s economy, it’s coal this, oil that. Meanwhile, the renewable energy sector […]
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Stranded Assets, Saskatchewan Style
A report by a little known government entity says what I have been saying about pipelines stranding assets: Its overall conclusion, however, urges caution when it comes to long-term investments in pipelines and other oil and gas infrastructure. Such investments “could be at high risk of becoming economically unviable as prices in renewable electricity further […]
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Wall’s Government Denies Climate Change
Wall had the Lieutenant Governor read to the Legislature that opposition to climate change is a “misguided dogma” in his throne speech. https://you.leadnow.ca/petitions/tell-saskatchewan-s-premier-to-stop-denying-climate-change-and-act The Premier and the Sask Party are making it government policy that a contributing factor in the wildfires that caused thousands of refugees to flee their homes last year in Saskatchewan, is […]
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: 90% of world’s new electricity coming from renewables: Welcome to the end of the fossil fuel era
90% the world’s new electricity now comes from renewables. China is shuttering 1,000 coal plants and global emissions are on the decline. The end is nigh for the fossil fuel era…so why hasn’t Canada gotten the memo?
The post 90% of world’s new electricity coming from renewables: Welcome to the end of the fossil fuel era appeared first on The Common Sense Canadian.
Continue readingThings Are Good: It’s Time To Divest
The use of coal to generate electricity is coming to an end, and one of the many reasons coal’s time is up is thanks to divestment. Divestment of fossil fuels has been argued on university campuses for years and started largely as a moral argument that we shouldn’t profit off the reckless destruction of the […]
The post It’s Time To Divest appeared first on Things Are Good.
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Canada 100% Renewable Electricity by 2030?
Read this, and think of Energy East pipeline Brad Wall is pushing hard for. Most of the globe’s coal, natural gas and oil investments will ultimately be affected by the transition, Seba suggest, at risk of becoming “stranded assets” — resources that lose their value before the expected end of their economic life. “They are going […]
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Boundary Dam 3 CCS Could have Cost Less and Been Solar
POW! This huge new #solar farm near LasVegas provides power day & night https://t.co/Aip0F3Fg2m #climate #GLOBE2016 pic.twitter.com/Iff4rvjQtn — Mike Hudema (@MikeHudema) March 3, 2016 SaskPower writes about its comparably sized “clean coal” project: This project transformed the aging [sic] Unit #3 at Boundary Dam Power Station near Estevan, Saskatchewan into a reliable, long-term producer of […]
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