Treehugger.com is reporting that Sweden is going to kick its’ oil habit.
Goran Persson, the Prime Minister of Sweden, has announced that his country will try to end its fossil fuel dependency by 2020. The plan is mostly based on investments and tax incentives for the use and research and development of alternative sources of energy.
The reason… global warming. The Prime Minister acknowledge that of any country in the world, Sweden could be among the worst affected by climate change as temperatures and climate nearer the polls will change much more severely.
Bravo for Sweden for taking the lead on this. Canada needs to take notice. We have the second largest Artic territory on the planet. Will us kicking our oil habit reverse global warming? Of course not. But we have a lot to lose from climate change. Given our ignorance of our own Northern territories, we stand to lose even more than we coud imagine. Surely that is a message we can take to heart.
Lets follow Swedens lead… hell lets help them out by funding research of our own with oil money that Sweden doesn’t have and pool our collective industrial and scientific resources to come up with a solution to this most threatening of human problems. Not Global warming, but rather ignorance and laziness.
I also believe Sweden’s committment to kick its oil habit is laudable. This initiative is not just good for the earth but also has several less apparent economic benefits. It will help make Sweden a leader in new environmentally friendly technologies. Such technologies are bound to be major grow industries as oil becomes less available and more expensive. By giving Swedish researchers a head start, in the long-term, this may give Sweden a vibrant future economy. Canada should indeed follow this lead.
You got it Rod!