Check It Out: When policies are enforced by threats, sanctions and censorship

By Joan Janzen

A doctor told a woman she only had six months to live. He advised her to marry a chemist and move to Toledo. The woman asked if this would cure her disease. The doctor replied, “No, but it will make six months seem like a very long time.”

In a similar fashion, Europe is finding their time spent living with clean energy policies is proving to seem like a very long time. Ralph Schulhammer, an academic researcher, was interviewed by Clayton Morris online. Ralph said ten years ago, the world looked to Germany as a role model for clean electricity, as it is Europe’s largest economy.

Germany has ideologically locked themselves into their policies, so they’re moving more slowly in realigning themselves with reality, and that will hold back everybody, Ralph reasoned.

Meanwhile, the winter of 2023-2024 in Europe is predicted to be much colder than the last one, which was extraordinarily mild. It’s estimated another $1.2 trillion will need to be spent to get Europe through a harsh winter.

“Slowly but surely, more and more countries are realigning themselves with reality,” Ralph said. Norway has approved another $18 billion in oil and gas exploration, Sweden is making a change in their energy course, Denmark is looking for more oil and gas, and the United Kingdom is making a U-turn in their energy policy.

“I have some cautious optimism that there’s a realignment with reality, but it’s a matter of how much pain will Europeans have to experience,” Ralph pondered.

A Newfoundland and Labrador submission to the Senate Energy Committee, said Canada must double or triple its non-carbon electricity output to meet its 2050 net-zero emission targets, which likely aren’t possible without more federal subsidies. It offered a further explanation in its submission.

In order to achieve the goal of a net zero electricity sector by 2035, Canada will need electricity generation equivalent to that of “four Churchill Falls.” To get an idea of what that means, Churchill Falls Generation Station is Canada’s second-largest hydroelectric plant.

Nevertheless, this month, the federal government released a draft proposal for Clean Electricity Regulations (CER), aiming to electrify sectors that rely on fossil fuels, including transportation, home and water heating and industrial activities. The CER explained that ratepayers in provinces that are heavily dependent on coal and natural gas will experience increases in their electricity bills.

Those provinces are Alberta, with 90 percent of its electricity generated from coal and natural gas, and Saskatchewan, with about 81 percent of its electricity produced from coal and natural gas. It’s expected that most of the expenses incurred by electric utilities would be passed on to consumers.

Ralph Schulhammer said, “Those who are fighting against oil and gas already have agriculture high up on their list. Without agriculture and without energy, you can’t live a modern life; you can’t have access to modern transportation, modern medicine, to anything that makes life a comfortable life. A realization of this needs to be made clearer.”

He expressed some optimism as media in the UK, such as the Telegraph, mocked the King of England’s doomsday clock. “It’s a D-Day scenario; those who say net zero at any cost, and others who say this is a suicidal policy,” he said.

At this point in time, it’s vitally important that information gets out to the public and pushback becomes stronger. “What I’m more afraid of than the actual net zero policy is the push to put under punishment anyone who criticizes it,” Ralph said. “There is a tendency to do this.”

He said anyone who disagrees is classed as a climate denier, dangerous and, therefore, should be silenced. The pushback will become more pronounced as more people come to believe these policies are misguided. “But instead of changing policies, some governments will say they’re just going to ban any debate,” he explained.

We only have to look at Canada’s recent censorship bills to realize the truth in his projections. He also said many movements or governments start off with promising plans to combat the ideological program and change it. He said many movements start out promising but throw their ideals overboard in order to get access to funds.

Currently, the premiers of Alberta and Saskatchewan are rejecting the federal government’s net-zero regulations planned for 2035. However, the federal government has recently threatened to withhold billions of taxpayer dollars from provinces that continue to use their natural resources to generate electricity beyond 2035. And in May, the federal Environment Minister said violating environmental regulations banning the use of coal and gas-fired power after 2035 might result in criminal sanctions.

What kind of government policies need to be enforced with threats, criminal sanctions and enforced censorship? Are they unrealistic ideological policies? It’s something to consider.