cktimes.ca Archives for Ecowrappin'
Ecowrappin'
Natural Impediments
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
It is difficult to pick up a newspaper or turn on the radio or television these days without seeing or hearing something about Global Warming. In almost every case the message implores people to take it very seriously and take steps to fight it. But can it be fought? By my assessments of what is being spewed by the various media, the suggested means of fighting Global Warming will be fraught with high expense and bumbling bureaucracy. This could be expected as you rarely find one without the other!Any individual, group or organization trying to do something that might mitigate Global Warming, even by some small measure, will quickly be impeded along their altruistic course of action by those that serve to regulate and control. In the natural scheme of things, even the smallest environmental initiative, whether it be small wetland restoration, construction of a wildlife pond, establishing native grassland or permanent meadow, or the planting of a mixture of native trees; each a potential carbon sink; all will face an uphill battle fought with every step of the way with regulatory review and approval. No matter what the scope of the benefits; no matter how small the risks; a plethora of bloated, self-serving and self-perpetuating bureaucracies will effectively discourage these initiatives through time consuming and costly inconveniences and inefficiencies.
At one time government or quasi-government regulatory agencies reviewed and approved proposals at little or no cost to the proponent, and in a timely fashion. Now they charge fees for their services, hence a money-making mindset has taken hold---the more information that can be requested and reviewed; the longer a decision can be delayed; the more effectively all asses can be covered. This all culminates in increases in time, charging fees on top of fees and more money in regulatory agency coffers. It would not surprise me at all if regulatory agency personnel performance is now measured and rewarded based on the amount of money each employee brings in each year. If this is the case, then regulatory agencies have become very much like private consulting firms, but without a sense of timeliness or cost accountability.
Not too long ago one could count on experienced regulatory personnel to deal with land change developments and initiatives. Proposals, especially those with environmental value, were dealt with by people who behaved more like partners than adversaries. But actual field experience on the part of reviewing and decision-making regulators is rather rare these days. They are certainly "book learned", but generally lack the field time necessary to make knowledgeable, site-specific, practical decisions with any measure of common sense. They treat everything that comes before them, be it large or small, unique or commonplace, with the same attitude and outlook; there is no allowance for differences in site, setting or conceptual design. Everything comes in one colour and is subsequently re-painted with the same brush.
When it comes to ecological or environmental initiatives, no matter what their size, no matter the recognized or intended range of benefits; there are no longer any Volkswagens or Chevs out there. Everything is a Cadillac in the regulatory review process. This has resulted in planning and design consultants having to build Cadillacs when all the proponent or owner ever really wanted, or needed, was Chev, sans the bells and whistles.
Global Warming is a big problem. But I do not believe that it is wholly the result of a few large environmental deficiencies. I am more inclined to believe that it has magnified over time through a multitude of relatively minor factors and influences. This is how it must be tackled, in many ways through a multitude of small initiatives. And this is where individuals and smaller organizations within society can take action and have a positive impact. Yet even those initiatives taken on the part of individuals, groups, organizations, even government---and funding from the same sources are available--- it will be the process of getting things done that will impede the war against Global Warming. There is just too much money to be made studying, reviewing, requesting more information; i.e., creating lucrative delays.
I see an effective effort against Global Warming taking on the same format as the great mobilization of people, produce and materials that occurred at the outset of World War II. If one has any memory or knowledge of the early stages of that calamity, there was a sudden focus on the task at hand and a lot of things changed and/or happened very quickly. A continuous focus with a concerted effort through millions of individuals ultimately led to a successful conclusion.
I was born on the Bruce Peninsula on July 20, 1951 and raised on a farm just south of the village of Lionís Head, which is located about halfway up the peninsula on the Georgian Bay shoreline. I graduated from Georgian College of Applied Arts and Technology in Barrie in 1973 as a Resources Engineering Technologist. I was hired by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) in April of 1975 as the first DUC employee in Ontario. Throughout almost 29 years I was involved with the implementation of more than 500 wetland projects and project complexes in southwestern and south central Ontario. Some of these habitat projects included important waterfowl and migratory bird habitat along the eastern shoreline of Lake St. Clair. Just three weeks short of completing 29 years with DUC, I accepted an early retirement opportunity effective March 31, 2004.
