The Wall Street Journal ran an article on Jan. 11, 2018 about the curious phenomenon of the large ENGO (Environmental Non-governmental Organization) known as World Resources Institute (WRI) both subcontracting a municipal government and funding a city employee to ‘push along a green agenda’ in a manner that WSJ suggests lacks transparency and accountability.

A similar phenomenon is occurring in Calgary.

Calgary was named a member of the Rockefeller 100 Resilient Cities project in 2016.  By March 03, 2017, the agenda was being set.

During the IPCC Cities 2018 Conference in Edmonton, Calgary hosted its own Climate Symposium, bringing in speakers like Dr. Katharine Hayhoe and “Climate” George Marshall of the UK for an evening at Telus SPARK.   These two, one a communications expert, the other a climate modeller, told audiences to abandon facts and evidence when discussing climate change and express their personal feelings about how climate change has affected their lives.  They proposed that the Calgary flood of 2013 would be an example, despite this being a weather event.

2013 view of flood from City of Calgary Police chopper flood twitter feed. Eight of the worst floods in Calgary’s history were before 1933, two of them with higher flows than that of 2013.

Weather Network says Calgary flooding could happen again.

Of course, most climate change scientists know that no one will experience climate change in their lifetimes to any extent because climate is measured in 30, 50, 100 and millennial timescales.   Dr. John D. Harper, FGSA,FGAC, PGeol., former director of the Geological Survey of Canada,  explains that people don’t live long enough to experience climate change, and that our active planet drives climate change; humans cannot control that.

Hayhoe and Marshall’s presentation was the platform for a new program they announced that night called “Alberta Narratives.” The project appears to be part of the portfolio of Upaya Consulting.

“A key focus of this community-based initiative is openness and the inclusion of a diversity of Albertans. We are seeking the involvement of a spectrum of organizations and individuals from business, energy, civil society, Indigenous communities, education, faith, youth, government, agriculture and people whose lives are invested in fossil fuels. …Communications specialist George Marshall and the organization he co-founded, Climate Outreach, will lead this work. George’s work spans the political spectrum and seeks to break down boundaries of culture, class and politics to find values and language we all share.”

Whose lives are NOT invested in fossil fuels?

The tiny orange line at the bottom represents the contribution of renewables (excluding hydro) to the global energy mix. The world runs on 3 Cubic Miles of Oil Equivalent Energy, one of which is entirely oil. Coal and Natural Gas make up the main balance for >80% of global energy supply.

The Hayhoe/Climate George event was covered by Watts Up With That in this commentary by attendees.

Calgary is reportedly well on its way to climate leadership, whatever that is.

The real questions:

  • is there any benefit to taxpayers
  • who will benefit FROM tax dollars
  • …and has a cost-benefit analysis been done?  

Please read our previous City of Calgary Climate Change reports.