Regina - Rick Morrell, organic farmer, grocery store owner and executive director of the Saskatchewan Eco Network wants to see less reliance on oil due to climate change impacts. He鈥檚 concerned about potential 鈥渨orldwide famine and wars about food. It鈥檚 not an acceptable scenario. Canada and pretty much every country in the world has agreed we need to stop the temperature from going up. The scientific community is very clear the amount of carbon in the air already is at a dangerous level, and if we keep on adding more carbon to the air, it鈥檚 going to get even more dangerous.
鈥淲e need to make a transition to an economy that isn鈥檛 run on fossil fuels fairly quickly, and fracking isn鈥檛 part of that picture. Whether it鈥檚 a fracked well or not a fracked well, most of it has to stay in the ground. What I would encourage your readership to do is start investing in other industries that are going to be part of the future. I think that鈥檚 the biggest consensus message that came out of the meeting. If you鈥檙e going to pump oil, pump the easy stuff. If you鈥檝e got to try any harder, or spend more money to get at it, it makes no sense in terms of the future.鈥�
When asked if the farmers present planned on parking their diesel-burning tractors in favour of oxen, he replied, 鈥淲e鈥檙e not actually advocating 100 per cent loss of fossil fuels. Eventually we can get there. The tractor can be run on biodiesel if it鈥檚 done with the right feedstock, if you鈥檙e not using a bunch of fossil fuels to create it. Most of the cars and stuff are going to have to run on electricity generated by renewables. I鈥檓 sure there鈥檚 ways we can run tractors without fossil fuels, but in the meantime, tractors would damned near be the last things run on fossil fuels.
鈥淭here may be certain other uses, industrial applications where it鈥檚 not efficient to use electricity, even from a renewable source. You may need a number of BTUs where you still need to use natural gas for that function.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a religious thing. It鈥檚 just we need to get down to the place where we鈥檙e not adding carbon.鈥�
To mitigate impacts like rising ocean levels, he said, 鈥淲e need to change to other sources of energy.
鈥淭he oilpatch made some good money, and they should invest it in things that are useful.鈥�
We noted how people in the oilpatch find it galling when those protesting fossil fuels may have gotten to the protest in their SUV, and they didn鈥檛 walk there. Morrell responded, 鈥淪ome of them (didn鈥檛 walk). Lots road their bikes. But I know what you鈥檙e saying. Hypocrisy is something that upsets people. But it also doesn鈥檛 make it not true. Once we have the infrastructure for electric cars, that鈥檚 what they鈥檙e going to drive.
鈥淪omething else we realized a while ago is that people are not going to give up their cars. That鈥檚 just how it is. It鈥檚 not the existence of cars, or even SUVs. That鈥檚 not the issue. The issue is what鈥檚 happening to the atmosphere and what鈥檚 going to happen to the food supply. It鈥檚 not a religious thing about 鈥榝ossil fuels are the devil.鈥� That鈥檚 not the case at all. It鈥檚 quite possible there will always be a role for fossil fuels, we鈥檝e just got to stop putting so much up there we鈥檙e going to ruin our future.鈥�
