The OGM Interactive Edition - Summer 2023 - Read Now!
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OUR GREAT MINDS
OUR GREAT MINDS
OPINION FEATURE
Were you around when the year 2000 hit and we were supposed to have a global meltdown because of computer formatting and storage of calendar data?
It sounds ridiculous now, but the whole world was on edge living in fear that the entire computer world would come to a crashing halt as the calendar year hit 2000.
Computers were so big and so important to our way of life, that our fear of all the computers failing, at the time, was considered to be the ultimate disaster for mankind.
Some people predicted Y2K would take down the entire world in one turn of the clock. Media the world over reported about it. It was the biggest topic on everyone’s mind in 1999. And then the clock turned, to our surprise nothing happened, and it was over just like that. Y2K came and went. Nobody spoke about it again.
Our oil and gas fear-mongering is much like the Y2K theory where problems are anticipated even though they have not happened. Fear is high. Logic is low. Many people are ill-informed and acting from a manufactured ‘what-if’ scenario that will probably never come to light.
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When we have something great, like computers, like oil and gas, like life itself……we can simultaneously manufacture fears out of the question…. “What if, I lose it?”
Tina Olivero
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We all live on this planet. We have a moral imperative to keep it clean and sustainable. Our lives depend on it.
CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL and we need to respond.
Because climate change is real and we need to respond it does not mean we go to extremes and ruin our livelihood in the pursuit of fearful environmental idealism? Because that’s precisely what’s happening to Calgary. And if we have learned anything from Venezuela, we understand that if Canada’s oil industry in Calgary and Newfoundland go down, we take the rest of Canada down with it.
The “either-or-thinking” of climate extremists, while pulverizing the oil and gas industry is inadvertently demolishing this countries opportunity for a financially stable economy and our foundation for a stable future.
If you think things are uncertain now with Covid-19 and low oil price, you can be certain that political po po-ing of our biggest natural resource will result in a nationwide failure that will affect every single Canadian for decades to come.
Without oil and gas in Canada, we will face a financial setback of catastrophic proportions. We will have missed opportunities globally. Missed opportunities in trade. Missed opportunities in jobs and therefore the domino effect into every other sector including our health care and our schools being dramatically impacted.
Canadians need to understand that there is nothing more expensive than a missed opportunity.
Without oil and gas, we will not be able to afford robust governments with healthy social systems. Take away our unemployment insurance, our social services, our free health care and strong infrastructure for education and schools and we will see how fast we think oil and gas is a priority.
If there’s one scenario we should forecast which can be proven fiscally, is to see what happens to Canada when we don’t have oil and gas income, the mainstay of our country’s economy.
Where is that figure of missed oil opportunity?
Why is it not the top priority of every news channel in Canada?
We’d rather talk about Trump. This is sad beyond sad!
We have been brainwashed to believe Canada is responsible for climate change because of the Oil Sands. We believe this because environmental activists and famous people who know nothing of the industry, or how it’s been the mainstay of or quality of life in Canada, have used PR and marketing narratives to sway beliefs.
The so-called ‘dirty oil” of Alberta has been painted in such a negative light that many do not see the truth – The Alberta Oil Sands are one of the top environmentally sound mega-projects in the world. The thing Alberta has been accused of is precisely what the environmentalists have done – play dirty.
Because of a hypothetical unproven climate-change Armageddon that is “supposed” to be coming, much like Y2K, we are following sheep over the de-industrialization cliff and it’s not going to be a pretty ending for Canada.
Climate change is not the Armageddon of Canada. Fear is the Armageddon of Canada. Climate change is something we manage with innovation and smart thinking, not fear thinking and obliterating our top industry that fuels the nation.
Canada has the 3rd largest oil and gas resource in the world.
Like Norway, Canada could be a leader in emission control and smart energy mix development. Why are we not hearing more of this narrative?
Instead, Canada has submitted to fear-mongering around climate change AND we are trying to ‘look good’ in the eyes of climate activists and famous people. Why would we do that to ourselves?
On top of that, we are not doing the best job of diminishing the environmental impact on the planet when it comes to renewable energy. Have you seen how many birds are killed with wind turbines?
How would you like me to go out and get a picture of Donald Trump standing by a wind turbine amongst the dead birds and say, “look what you did Canada.” Or even worse, let’s get Leonardo DiCaprio to stand amongst the dead birds, because whatever Leonardo DiCaprio thinks about what happens in Canada..…it must be real. The man knows nothing of the oil and gas environmental protocols that are well established in the oil industry in Canada. This is irresponsible influence. The fact that actors and musicians can come into our industries and dictate our economic outcomes in Alberta is insanity.
We have not protected ourselves. Like sitting ducks we are shot at, over and over again…and we keep taking it. It’s one thing to be “nice Canadians”, it’s a whole other matter to keep taking that kind of defamation.
Where are the boundaries? Is this who we have become? Is this what we have been reduced to? Is this the power of media in action?
The reality is anything and everything we do has an impact. It’s our job to mitigate the environmental impact in EVERY SINGLE INDUSTRY, with smart processes and innovation.
Here in Canada, we need to get our **** together.
A bold statement I know. But it’s true.
After 30 years in the oil and gas industry, I know enough to understand the oil industry and its powerful commitment to a clean energy world. Everything from land reclamation, to super stringent environmental adherence policy, strong environmentally conscious processes and powerful investment into new energy modalities.
The reality is, here in Canada, we have done a stellar job of considering the environmental impact in the OG industry, every single step of the way.
The oil and gas resource in Canada has been so financially viable and strong we could afford to be environmentally conscious in our developments. Unlike many other industrial sectors and nations that cannot afford to be environmentally diligent, Canada was. Canadians need to understand this basic truth.
It will NEVER be oil/gas OR climate change. It’s both working in harmony with the greatest minds in the world solving emission pollution challenges, reducing emissions and continuing to build a smart energy mix. As Norway has illustrated so effectively, this is the way forward.
If we settle for losing our oil and gas industry, we will be left behind as other nations of the world go ahead and develop oil and gas anyway. We have a choice, we can be leaders and planetary stewards or we can give over our opportunity to others like the United States.
In my view, anything less than a NEW ENERGY MIX + EMISSION REDUCTION and we have fear, money, politics, power and corruption in the mix. Therefore, the fear-mongering DE-INDUSTRIALIZATION of Canada’s top commodity is unacceptable.
You have a choice. What do you choose? Do you accept the rhetoric, succumb to fear and lose our golden egg?
Or do you follow smart countries like Norway and believe in our creativity, innovation and brainpower to solve today’s climate change issues?
As long as humans are on the planet and populations grow, oil and gas are here to stay. We can be wealth generated like Norway and be smart with our investments our resource management from an environmental perspective, OR we can throw it all away because of fear and lack of knowledge.
Co2 is influencing climate, that is without a doubt a global consensus. But how much and what is the true impact?
The truth is nobody knows the exact answer to those questions…hence the debate.
So the absolute smartest thing we can do right now, is use oil and gas to bring in new energy.
The smartest thing we can do is use our oil and gas environmental protocols and apply them to that new energy mix to keep us all as safe as possible.
We don’t need to re-invent the wheel and waste all that time and money.
The future of Canada is at risk not because of temperature change, but because of a polarizing view of climate change OR fossil fuels.
We can be leaders in climate change innovation and solutions. We can lead the way in environmental measures. Before power generation suffers, before the industry is completely decimated and before we’ve lost hundreds of thousands of jobs, we must change the narrative and stop acting against our own best interest.
We get what we focus on.
We can focus on de-industrialization and de-nationalizing or we can focus on progress and innovation to solve challenges of pollution and emissions.
Great minds, innovation and technology have proven time and time again that we can advance and solve our issues. With urgency, we need to do that now rather than separate and alienate the country.
Canada must learn from Venezuela. Venezuela lost its wealth which was built on oil and gas. Canada is about to do the same. Look at the impact on Venezuela and it’s complete demise and unrest. We have Venezuela to show us what happens if we de-industrialize.
Alternatively, we have hope because we have Norway to show us what happens if we create a new energy mix and build on innovation and climate consciousness.
History is written. You choose the outcome by being fully informed. What would you prefer the outcome of Norway or Venezuela?
Canada as the 3rd largest oil reserve in the world can be a global leader in showing the world how to decrease emissions, how to be innovative, how to build a world where everyone wins how to be inclusive with indigenous groups, how to proactive in climate change challenges and how to build a new energy mix. We need leadership with this vision and the big picture in mind to build a new conversation about what’s possible for Canada.
Much of the science on climate change is real and much of the rhetoric is not. We need money and resources from our oil industry to determine the reality of the impact of our energy resources. We must understand the environmental impact not just in oil and gas but ALL energy sources.
De-industrialization of Canada means we lose all hope of getting to the facts on climate change and how to manage energy effectively. Oil and gas is the bridge to new energy so, without oil and gas, we are acting against our own best interest.
Everyone want’s what’s best for the planet. Everyone wants to progress. Dividing ourselves and de-industrializing because of opposing views is national suicide.
We need to come together and work with unity and vision. Our goal should include being the number one leader in climate solutions and the number one producer of new energy innovation and energy production in THE WORLD! We should not settle for anything less. Those are goals worthy of our time and effort here on earth.
Who we are is one nation, one people. There is no us and them.
Together we must create a vision for the future that we are all inspired to build and to live into. One that honours us, protects our planet and our people. One that embraces globalization and paves the way for unity worldwide.
As time merges with technology, we live on the cusp of a globalized world. Let Canada be the leader in resource development and planetary stewardship. Let Canada be the teacher in resource development and resource management. Let Canada, with our surplus of resource revenue, solve the challenges of our time.
Then and only then can we be a strong contribution to the rest of the world.
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Like you I am invested and concerned about climate change. Do not mistake this article for anything other than responsible progress and advocacy for strong environmental protocols as we progress.
These are my opinions, formed over the last 30 years working in the oil and gas industry and travelling the globe, listening to experts, interviewing experts and also speaking to experts at global conferences and exhibitions in energy centres around the planet.
Please what ever you do, be informed. Like Y2K the media can present something as real and the next day it’s gone. With no recourse, no consequence and no responsibility for its damages. As a result, our hope for the future are going down right along with it.
Don’t be swayed by movie stars and the ill-informed. Don’t follow the crowd. Go to an oil and gas work site. See the environmental protocols in place then from an informed and responsible vantage point, act from there.
You will be blown away about how wrongfully the industry has been represented. Then and only then will you see how wrongful narratives can take down a country.
But the good news is, if we can ruin a country with narratives we can also build a country with narratives. This article is my way of doing just that. REBUILDING!
If you get this, share it. Let’s change the narrative – let’s save our country. Let’s build our oil and gas industry.
REFERENCES TO STAY INFORMED – START HERE:
VIDEO: Global Warning – https://globalwarningfilm.com/
ARTICLE: Planet Of The Humans
https://theogm.com/2020/05/01/planet-of-the-humans-leads-to-one-conclusion/
BOOK: Apocalypse Never By Michael Shellenberger
BOOK: False Alarm: Bjorn Lomborg
YOUTUBE: Alex Epstein, host of Power Hour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUyVl-ioszE
FACT CHECK BIBLE – DOCUMENTARY: Planet of the humans – Planetofthehumans.com
https://planetofthehumans.com/fact-check-bible/
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