Groups that go against the global trend have always existed throughout history. This was the case when conservative thoughts dominated, such as settling for the present without looking into the future or trying to protect the past. World-renowned scholar Yuval Harari’s million-selling book ‘Sapiens’ analyzed that the critical reason why the East fell behind the West was because of the idea of cherishing the ‘past.’ The starting point that allowed the West to surpass the East was the discovery of acknowledging ignorance: ‘We do not know the answers to the most important questions.’ Until the Middle Ages, the prevailing view was that all answers to important questions existed in the past and that answers that did not exist in the past were not important. The method by which spiders build nests is not found in past literature, so it is not important. Therefore, religious scriptures, saints, and sages of the past were always subjects of study, but because the future was thought to be worse or similar to the present, importance was placed on ancient texts and traditions such as the Bible, Buddhist scriptures, Koran, and Confucian scriptures.
A local residents’ group (TERRE) opposing the expansion of fossil fuel power plants along Toronto’s shores. Instagram Capture
The reason why I have unpacked part of the book called Sapiens is because the Ontario government is currently making the mistake of being immersed in the past instead of looking at the global trend and future in the East. Changes in the world are felt faster than the changes in the seasons, but Ontario is still increasing the use of nuclear power plants and natural gas power generation, which are power generation facilities of the past. Investment in renewable energy is almost impossible to find.
Last year, 12.8% of Ontario’s electricity came from gas and oil. It increased from 2022 (10.4%). Wind power decreased from 9.4% to 8.2%. Solar energy is meaningless as it is less than 1%. Nuclear power plants, which emit radioactive pollution, account for 53% of the total, but expansion is being promoted. Let’s see the world. There is a renewable energy construction frenzy around the world. Last year, 91% of new facilities worldwide were in the renewable energy sector. An increase from 83% in 2022. Of these, solar energy accounts for approximately 3/4.
Therefore, Ontario is a government that goes against the trend of the times. When it comes to renewable energy resources, Ontario is second to none anywhere in the world. The vast plains are perfect for building a solar power plant. Almost half of the farmland is classified as Class 3 to 7 land, which is not suitable for farming due to poor soil quality. Solar panels can be installed in any number of places like this. Even better than that is a wind power tower. The best locations for wind power generation are open areas as wide as the sea or high mountains and hills. Fortunately, most of Ontario’s electricity demand is concentrated along the shores of Lake Ontario. The average wind speed near the lake is comparable to that of the sea. The average wind speed in front of Toronto’s Center Island is around 7 meters per second (at an altitude of 100 meters), which is not much different from the 8 meters in the ocean off Boston (global wind atlas). It is sufficient to be economically feasible. If you still feel regret, you can build a wind farm near Bruce Nuclear Power Plant or on a lake in front of Pickering or Darlington Nuclear Power Plants. The transmission network is already well established. There is no need to add new nuclear power plants.
To the east of Toronto’s beautiful lakeside Cherry Beach is the Portland Gas Power Plant. The plant began operation in 2009 with the goal of closing in 2029, despite much opposition from Toronto politicians and citizens, and has the stigma of being a “lakeside mistake.” In 2022 alone, this power plant emitted greenhouse gases (GHG) equivalent to 133,000 cars, and the government is seeking to increase capacity by about 10% from the 550 megawatt scale. The plant, owned by Atura Power, a subsidiary of Ontario Power Company (OPG), a public utility under the provincial government, has emitted a whopping 550 per cent more carbon during the five years that Premier Doug Ford has been in office. Initially, it was explained that it was to cover emergency power demands, but now its operation has increased almost as a base load supply, and more are planned. So far, no new commercial solar and wind power generation facilities have been added.
Construction and operation of power generation facilities are under the jurisdiction of state governments, but carbon emissions are under the jurisdiction of the federal government. By regulating the growth of carbon emissions, the federal government could force a halt to the construction of new gas-fired power plants and the phasing out of existing carbon-emitting plants.
A protest is scheduled this Saturday from 12pm to 2pm to protest against the provincial government’s policies that go against this global trend (Kew Gardens, 2075 Queen Street East, Toronto). Hosted by TERRE (terrecoalition.ca/), about 10 climate and environmental organizations, including the Korean-American group in Toronto (HNET), are participating.
