Editor:
Congratulations to the District of Sechelt for their courageous stand to join the province-wide class action to Sue Big Oil and legally force them to pay their fair share of the massive climate-driven costs already being paid by municipal and regional government taxpayers!
Just as Big Tobacco and Big Asbestos very profitably pedalled their harmful products while covertly concealing the public harm they created, Big Oil does the same with their climate damaging petroleum. It took legal action to hold Big Tobacco and Big Asbestos to account and it will require legal action to hold Big Oil to account.
Suggesting that our municipal and regional politicians “stay out of politics” is tantamount to asking that they abrogate their legal and moral responsibility to manage our public budgets and assets and to knowingly allow Big Oil to continue their duplicitous conduct with financial impunity.
It might surprise some readers to learn that the concept of your ‘personal carbon footprint’ was concocted by the public relations wonks of Big Oil, specifically designed to deflect apparent responsibility away from Big Oil and on to individual actions or inactions. Sadly, their PR disinformation has been remarkably successful for some.
People need transportation and until recently the only practical vehicles available were gas guzzlers. Happily, times are changing and more benign transportation options are coming.
Suggesting that we “leave it to individuals” to take personal actions with respect to petroleum purchases is a recipe for unabated climate change. Had it been left to individual decisions about Big Tobacco and Big Asbestos we would be experiencing far more deaths from cancer and mesothelioma than is the case today.
Taxpayers should not bear the entire burden of mitigating the increasingly costly impacts of petroleum driven climate change. It’s time for Big Oil to pay their fair share!
Jef Keighley
Garden Bay
