The law of unintended consequences strikes, again. The Trans-Mountain Pipeline, proposed by Houston-based, Kinder Morgan, would transport sludge [“diluted bitumen”] from the Alberta, Canada tar sands to Vancouver, BC to be loaded into tankers for export to foreign markets. This would result in a six-fold increase in the number of tanker ships using the port.
Problem 1. Increased “chance of oil spills in the seasonal habitat of the endangered Southern Resident killer whale population.” That’s easy to dismiss. Killer whales are endangered? Serves them right.
Problem 2. The additional ships would add their noises, especially the sounds of their propellers, to the already cacophonic waters. Whales do sing. They do communicate with one another. These sounds can travel over as many as twelve square miles of ocean. Except that noise pollution from ships reduces that to something like three square miles. Oh, and the whales also use their song to find mates. Too much noise, no mating. No mating, no more whales. Problem solved, right?
Not really. It’s a bit of hyperbole, but it’s been said that Earth could support life with only three species: brown rice, humans, and dung beetles. It wouldn’t be much of an existence… no Trump monuments to himself, for example… but life could survive.
Biodiversity is often taken as a buzzword of the eco-freaks. I am not an eco-freak. I enjoy a good steak, even though I know the steak’s carbon footprint is many times larger than that of an aubergine cutlet of the same mass. I love my air-conditioning in both home and car. And I keep my computer operating twelve-plus hours per day.
On the other hand, I understand that biodiversity may be essential to the survival of the human race, of the children and grandchildren of my generation. From where will their food come after we have over-fished the Grand Banks and other fishing grounds? From where will their bread come after we have burned the farms of the Midwest from the face of Earth by warming the world? From where will come the vaccines and medicines to counter the new diseases that are daily being unleashed as we alter the climate?
Problem 3. If Canada ships the sludge overseas, it will likely mean less gets to the US. Which means, ultimately, higher prices for petroleum products. You know, the stuff you pump into your car. (Perhaps that got your attention.)
This is a break from my series on climate, focusing on the sun. But it’s still “All About the Children.” Sunspots will continue, probably tomorrow.
Registered Curmudgeon, scientist, skeptic, humanist, and writer.