Premiers pledge to sit on their hands
The headlines sounds good:
20% increase in energy efficiency in 12 years, premiers pledge
Except that anyone who pays attention to such things knows that increasing efficiency is a far different thing from decreasing overall energy usage. This allows overall usage to continue to increase, which won't help decrease the cost of energy, even if you do happen to use it more efficiently.
Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald said the No. 1 issue facing Canadians this winter is rising energy prices, but the targets the premiers have set out are achievable goals.
No shit. In fact, if you look at trends over the last 20 to 40 years, the "goals" the premiers just set for themselves are below what has been achieved already. Basically we can expect a 20% increase in energy efficiency without the government doing a damn thing, which gives you an idea of just how much their "pledge" is worth.
