Warming trend

Editorial Copyright 1999 Calgary Sun January 5, 1999

We take no pleasure in seeing people across North America stuck in airports or stranded in their cars. Or shovelling snow when they've never had to do it before.

Yet, that's what's been happening from coast-to-coast as the winter that wasn't supposed to be suddenly whips Canada and the U.S.

So much for the global warming experts.

These doomsters and gloomsters have been telling us temperatures are rising and unless we stop burning fossil fuels within a few decades, we'll all be in the frying pan.

Our agricultural lands will dry up and the deserts will spread. The polar icecaps will melt, and we'll all be flooded. Bit of a contradiction there, actually.

Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Environment Minister Christine Stewart and Natural Resources Minister Ralph Goodale have all fallen for this malarkey. Coincidentally, Goodale is supposed to protect our nation's energy sector, but his government signs the Kyoto agreement that will devastate it.

This with oil prices at 12-year lows -- 24-year lows if inflation is taken into account -- and Canada's energy industry has the jitters. So many jitters that major job layoffs could come within days, if not weeks.

Reminds you of the National Energy Program doesn't it?

But a warming trend may be on the way.

Natural gas demand -- coupled with soaring prices -- was supposed to offset $11 (US) a barrel oil, but the balmy weather in November initially killed those hopes.

We had the natural gas, but we didn't have the consumers. We could construct $1-billion pipeline projects, and plan for more, but the climate suddenly became unfavourable.

Now that's changed.

Within days, thoughts of an easy winter were frozen solid-- and with them, pessimism about natural gas prices.

Weather forecasters -- and we admit we don't normally have much confidence in them -- now say the world is headed for a harsh winter.

Perhaps the proverbs are true, every cloud has a silver lining, and it's an ill-wind that doesn't blow anyone some good.

Energy prices may be on the rise.

Even if the mercury in the thermometer isn't.

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