Dirty Politics & Dirty Science: BC Liberals, Science World, and the LNG Road Show Some stories you just cant make up. It would require too much imagination, too many farcical sub-plots, with tie-ins that would stretch the credulity of even the most generous of minds. But hand it over to our BC Liberals these days, as they happily continue with their LNG schtick. Trouble being, it sounds more and more like it comes out of a gimcrack, imaginatively overblown, production. No matter to them the LNG market is saturated by Russia, Australia, even the US, with floundering and dubiously projected profits. Tax rates initially promised by Christy at 7%, now dropped to 3.5%. Billions of dollars of what was projected as mazuma for the Prosperity Fund, disappearing into thin air. Speaking of tricks, conjuring vapid phantasies, and slight of hands, comparatively speaking, thats not the worst news about LNG. Understand that the science of LNG exploitation is the very opposite of carnivals, slight of hands, and tricks of illusion. After all, LNG isnt a matter of capturing fairy-farts. Or sweetening water with gnome-turds. Its a serious matter. Its about poisoning millions of litres of water per/well to do the necessary fracking to get the product. All the while leaking methane into the atmosphere that removes any benefit to using natural gas, making it worse than coal. But there’s more. The latest stint by the BC Liberals is a LNG, traveling sideshow through the province. Worse, because theyve unfortunately charmed Science World into a House of Mirrors gig, to tour along side. All in the attempt to grant legitimacy to the LNG scheme. Consider Bryan Tisdall, Science Worlds CEO, in a recent interview with CBC. Tisdall muses that the BC government wanted Science World to add a bit of spark. Spark? When speaking about methane, a highly flammable gas, thats not what us townies near the LNG facilities and proposed transportation hubs like to hear. But Tisdall continued. Science World was there to help us understand the basics on the science of energy and how is it used and released. To learn about the science of LNG, [and] the careers that might be involved. What about all the concerns LNG brings? Er ... nope. This isnt part of what Science World is presenting on their LNG tour: Our shows will be quite neutral, Tisdall boasts. Wait: You are there to explain the science of LNG, but your shows will be quite neutral? Of course! Because when it comes to the history of scientific explanation, being neutral is what first comes to mind! Copernicus and then Galileo on the neutrality of the earths place in the solar system. Louis Pasteur on germ theory. Darwin on the neutrality of our evolution. Einstein on relativity, and so on. But I suppose we should be thankful for small blessings, of a sort. Imagine if our provincial government wanted to promote cigarette smoking and asbestos. Would the science be neutral there too? And there I was, thinking one is only neutral on non-factual issues, like the color your socks should be. Once again, dig a bit more, and we see that the BC government is a million dollar donor to Science World, along with Western Economic Diversification Canada, a federal agency. Then theres Encana Corp., Goldcorp Inc., and Taseko Mines Limited as the SAPPHIRE donors who contribute in the $500,000-$999,999 range. Money talks, they say. True. But it sometimes keeps us from talking too. In any case, hearing Tisdall talk and jiggle through his lines defending SW performing for LNG - with no mention of renewable, sustainable energy options - I asked myself, What a strange way for a scientist to talk. I wonder what he did his Ph.D. in? No surprise, given his flabby and outrageous description of the scientific method: no Ph.D. But sometimes a story writes itself, and what you find couldnt have been born in even the most imaginative of imaginations: Consider the Program Coordinator at Science World, Brian Anderson, aka Brian #2. In a YouTube video, standing in front of an LNG poster with Clean superimposed over it, I had the creepy feeling Anderson is in the middle of his carney scripts that he so immensely enjoys. What you say? Yes, Brian is “Arnie the Carnie at Vancouvers TheatreSports League, a bit he plays when not doing science. Im in no position to judge Andersons carnie hoo-ha (especially with the illusionism part), but his performance defending Science Worlds endorsement of LNG is a regrettable yoking of his two disparate interests. LNG is no laughing matter. The serious science going on about LNG is growing louder every day - despite industrys attempts to squelch it. And despite the provincial governments attempt to promote LNG, while tarnishing the reputation of Science World by parading it with unqualified proponents and advocates better known as Arnie the Carnie. Unfortunately, theres as much science in Science World these days, as there is liberal in the BC Liberals. And thats shameful for both Science World and the BC Liberals.
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 05:48:28 +0000
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