"Unpopular opinion on /r/vancouver" thread. What opinions about the city do you have that would normally get you smited on this subreddit? Keep it civil.

I'll try to do this minimal debate.

Canada is a resource based economy. To the rest of the world the most value we have is the natural resources we provide. Given our huge land mass and small population this isn't likely to change.

The world needs energy. Stuff needs to move, be heated etc.

Fossil fuels have an energy density currently unmatched by alternative technology. No one 'killed' the electric car, it's just not as effective as internal combustion engines (yet).

Global warming is a serious problem and needs to be addressed by reducing human activity that produces CO2 output.

With me? The world needs energy, we have stuff that produces it, people want it.

Right now almost all of our petroleum products go to refineries in the US. This is due to logistical reasons: they consume a lot of it and right next door. They pay less than the rest of the world because they say "Hey Canada, who else are you going to sell too? Everyone else is a continent away! Tell ya what, we'll buy it at a 25% discount".

Canadian resources, in the interest of Canada, should benefit Canada. That means we should be top dollar for them. It also means that the US would have to pay a bit more for oil so that might help push them to reduce emissions more. To get top dollar we need to reach world markets. To do that we need to send more of it from where it's produced (Alberta) to where the closest global source of demand is (you know, just off the coast of BC).

Supporting pipelines doesn't mean not supporting carbon reduction policies. It doesn't mean supporting big business. It doesn't mean you hate the environment.

There is a solution that includes a pipeline which helps get higher resource revenues for our product which can be partially reclaimed for public good. Heck we could use them to fund alternate energy rebates etc.

Of course the real problem is getting the top CO2 producers to stop. The China's and India's of the world (US is going in the right direction) who are exploding in development. Of course we can only affect our little sphere in the world.

/r/vancouver Thread