FFWD Weekly
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Letter by FFWD Reader I am a citizen of Calgary who feels the need to express my thoughts regarding globalization and the World Petroleum Congress (WPC) meetings. I grew up in Alberta's North and am as familiar with the practices of seismic, drilling, pumping, crude separating and piping as one can be without having worked personally in any of those fields. I hold a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary and have participated in language and exchange study programs. I have worked in logistics, transportation and customer service for both a large Canadian-owned coal company and a large multi-national food company. I do not own a car and choose to travel by bicycle. I did participate in the teach-in held prior to the WPC, as well as the peaceful rally on Sunday, June 11. Why were people marching? What issues were they trying to raise? The role of the citizen is taking a back seat to decisions being made about our communities and the environment. Citizens want to be truly heard, have their opinions considered, and play a greater role in the decision-making process. I do not necessarily believe that the most efficient way to manage water, education, health care and the environment is to give stewardship to profit-oriented corporations. I am also not suggesting that corporations should abandon the profit objective – this would be simplistic and naïve. I do not think it is right for people to be displaced, made to suffer or killed to achieve the profit objective. I want a true accounting, in both human and environmental terms, of the cost of business operations. Perhaps if all costs are accounted for, the price of gasoline would double or triple, causing consumers to make different choices. What are the associated or potential costs of demanding – as is done by our communities – that pipelines be placed underground and flares elevated above treetops, or that financial compensation be extended to others such as the Lubicon and people of southern Sudan? What are the costs of increased health care from pollution, government payments for environmental clean-up, species loss and climate change? What are the human costs of the deaths associated with the oil industry. If we consider all of this, does it not make the price of oil and coal much higher than the price set simply by the supply and demand curves of micro-economics? We will not stop using fossil fuels completely within days – chances are we will not in the foreseeable future eliminate them completely. But I do believe that we can work towards a large reduction in the use of fossil fuels. The David Suzuki Foundation has put forward a plan to reduce our usage by 50 per cent over the next 30 years. We must consider these documents. What is also true is that the responsibility for change is at the hands of the people, corporations and government. We must change, on a societal level, our dependence and usage of fossil fuels. As long as consumers continue to purchase products contributing to revenue, corporate values will not change. If consumers change their buying habits, then so will corporations change their production habits to match: We need to be constantly evaluating our programs and educational pursuits to determine if they are truly effecting change. Government officials are clear regarding what it takes for them to make a decision – show them that there is a groundswell of public support and that there are political points to be gained in following your suggestion. Our challenge is to find the triggers in society to build the public support needed to change public policy. That same public support is needed to demand changes in policies and practice for global corporations. They need to know they will lose in the profit objective if they follow the wrong path and make the wrong decisions. Ultimately, the groundswell of support may depend on the personal connections we make with our neighbours, coworkers, people we ride the bus with, and people we meet at barbecues. We cannot underestimate the power of spirit, love and compassion to effect change. Courtenay Ellingson

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