Let’s be the bad boy

According to news media reports, Canada is a “pariah” when it comes to fighting global warming.

And I think that’s just great. After all, when it comes to everything else we are such upstanding international citizens: we are never late for UN meetings; we are always polite to all the other countries, we hang out with all the nice Alliances. In other words, we are goody-two-shoes – the global equivalent of boy scouts. Nice, but boring. However, when it comes to the environment, or at least when it comes to “climate change,” Canada is the bad boy, the outsider. We are dangerous, we are edgy, we play by our own rules. When Al Gore sees Canada strutting down the sidewalk, he meekly crosses the street. Rather than bemoan this state of affairs, as so many in the media do, I say let’s revel in it. Sometimes it's cool to be bad. So let's play it for all it's worth. For instance, here’s what we should do at Copenhagen climate summit:

• Leave a couple of tons of fresh Alberta tar sands on Denmark’s doorstep and ring the doorbell.
• Announce we plan to increase our greenhouse gas emissions, “just because we can”.
• Spice up the environmentalist protests in the streets of Copenhagen by unleashing a dozen or so hungry polar bears.
• During all meetings we should drink out of plastic bottles labelled “Melted Glacier Water.”
• Continually ask the question: “If global warming is such a problem how come it’s so darn cold outside?”

Of course, none of this will actually impact on the climate. But then again, nothing done at the Copenhagen summit will actually impact the climate. At least we can have a little fun.

Gerry Nicholls——Bio and Archives

Gerry Nicholls is a Toronto writer and a senior fellow with the Democracy Institute. His web site is Making sense with Nicholls