By John Hollis, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, February 10, 2020
(...)Adapting to climate change is imperative
Re: Don’t expect technology to solve climate change, Jan. 27.
Jocelyne Bourgon is correct. It was the invention in 1776 of the first efficient steam engine by James Watt that opened the door to the industrial revolution. The development, demonstration, and deployment of technologies were the initial trigger for the issue of global heating, but technology is only part of the solution.
Canada’s public policy to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases has not delivered — during more than two decades. Both Conservative and Liberal governments have abjectly failed to meet international commitments made by their predecessors: Jean Chrétien made a commitment in Kyoto (1997) and Stephen Harper in Copenhagen (2009). The likelihood of Canada meeting the commitment that it made in Paris in 2015 (Trudeau) is vanishingly small. Yet this is an issue that must be addressed competently within a decade.
https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/todays-letters-classroom-problems-climate-challenges