So... how many people are sick and tired of temperatures in the minus-twenties? How many people are counting the days before spring comes around? Where are the people who criticized the National Capital Commission for promoting Winterlude in Toronto and Montreal back in January?
It seems like an eternity now, but it has only been about five or six weeks since the days where people all over the place were discussing life in Ottawa without skating on the Rideau Canal and what would be done in place of that mid-February festival that once counted on ice and snow. Back in January, virtually everyone was ready to declare Winterlude and winter in Ottawa dead. Nobody believed the once generally accepted fact that the city of Ottawa was the world's coldest capital city. I doubt that anyone is lining up to argue against that fact today.
In fact, irony of all ironies, the National Capital Commission announced yesterday that for "safety reasons" crews would commence destroying the ice and snow sculptures in Confederation Park today. A February thaw usually saw to it in recent years that sculptures last no longer than two or three days, sometimes even less.
For the global warming alarmists out there I have always had a good measuring stick or reference point to ensure that memories of "Waterludes" past remain as clear as possible: my birthday is February 10th. Winterlude always starts some time around my birthday. Virtually every year as long as I can remember has seen ice and snow turn to mush at least once during the festival - inevitably, the sculptures start melting before they're completed and the canal turns to slush once or twice and needs to be closed down to protect it from the elements.
NONE OF THAT HAPPENED THIS YEAR!
The Rideau Canal did not open on a record late date. In fact, some are saying that it has been in the best condition it ever has been. It has not had to close due to warm weather once so far. The sculptures lasted the whole duration of Winterlude and nature will not have a chance to knock them down this year.
What will it take for the leftist alarmists out there to recognize the fact that weather variations do not directly link to climactic changes of epic proportions? It was hilarious to hear that Saint David Suzuki stormed out of a Toronto radio station after refusing to answer some tough questions from a host who wasn't afraid to ask them. Even Saint David doesn't know what to say. I'd love to hear what he'd have to say about the fears the scientific community had only twenty-five years ago about the impending doom awaiting us - the phenomenon of global
cooling.
The bottom line is we do not know what awaits us. The world has been in a constant state of change. I tend to believe the scientists who have told Canadian politicians who listened to them that even if all Kyoto provisions were implemented, no noticeable effects could be observed. I'm not giving up my car, I'm not going to turn my thermostat down to eight degrees Celsius in the winter and I certainly will not opt to live without lights.
Come on, folks, knee jerk reactions won't get us anywhere. The percentage of this planet that is inhabited by industrialized countries is so small, our footprint is almost negligible when compared to the surface covered by water and uninhabited land. Let's study the situation properly and not fly off the handle, issuing panic inducing reports that proclaim the sky is falling.
We all know what happened to Chicken Little.
