The emergence of the climate crisis seems sudden only because of a relatively recent discontinuity in the relationship between human civilization and the planet’s ecological system. In the past century, we have quadrupled global population while relying on the burning of carbon-based fuels — coal, oil and gas — for 85 percent of the world’s energy. We are also cutting and burning forests that would otherwise help remove some of the added CO2 from the atmosphere, and have converted agriculture to an industrial model that also runs on carbon-based fuels and strip-mines carbon-rich soils.

The cumulative result is a radically new reality — and since human nature makes us vulnerable to confusing the unprecedented with the improbable, it naturally seems difficult to accept. Moreover, since this new reality is painful to contemplate, and requires big changes in policy and behavior that are at the outer limit of our ability, it is all too easy to fall into the psychological state of denial. As with financial issues like subprime mortgages and credit default swaps, the climate crisis can seem too complex to worry about, especially when the shills for the polluters constantly claim it’s all a hoax anyway. And since the early impacts of climatic disruption are distributed globally, they masquerade as an abstraction that is safe to ignore.

And I’ll just put this right here:

For the moment it’ll just be us two writing, but at some point we may open the project up to other -adically minded folks.

Here’s one example of the utter illogic of this election: the conservative MP Bev Oda was reelected in Durham region in Ontario. If you’re a Canadian and you don’t recognize her name, you should, as you’ve nearly footed her several expensive limo rides:

In 2006, Oda paid back $2,200 to taxpayers after the Liberals found that she had incurred nearly $5,500 in limo rides at the 2006 Juno Awards in Halifax. In 2008, she was accused of hiding over $17,000 of limo expenses billed to taxpayers. (See: Wikipedia)

That’s already appalling, but what is more shocking is that Oda played a role in the recent ruling which found the Conservatives in contempt of parliament. The quick version of the story is that bureaucrats had okayed a funding bill for a human rights organization, KAIROS, and the bill found its way to Oda for her final signature (as Minister for International Cooperation). She signed off on it, all right, but not before altering one crucial aspect of the document: she added a “not” to the line which said KAIROS would be receiving funding. Then, in Parliament, she lied by claiming that she had received the document unaltered. You can read a bit more about it here, and find other sources via the links there.

Purportedly KAIROS was denied funding due to their critical stance on Conservative policies RE: Israel-Palestine, which is an absurd reason to make such a policy decision.

I should point out that KAIROS is a faith-based organization, and so I don’t believe that they should receive government funding. But it’s not up to Bev Oda to make these decisions on her own in such a totalitarian manner, and then lie about it once she’s caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

Not only did Oda get reelected in Durham, but she was elected with a majority vote in her riding. It’s just sick. What the hell happened on May 2?!?

(If you’re wondering, I threw an impotent Liberal vote at the Conservative howl of Newmarket-Aurora)

I also finish grading exams this morning. Now all I need to do is perform my duties as “exam viewer” once the grading is finished, defend my thesis, and then I’m a free man! Well, at least until I start my new job as Postdoc at UC, Santa Cruz. We’re still at negative degrees here in Montreal, so I’m looking forward to the warmer climate.

Tomorrow I head to Ithaca to see Jenna for the first time in around two months. I’ll be travelling quite a bit in the next while (between New York, Ithaca, Montreal, Toronto and also a week-long jaunt to Ann Arbor for the Workshop on L-functions, Galois Representations and Iwasawa theory), but life should calm down a bit now that the thesis demon is no longer lurking over my shoulder. Hopefully I’ll find time to blog a bit more than has recently been typical.

This outrageous partisan branding is completely unacceptable. It’s the Government of Canada, not Stephen Harper’s personal playground. Let’s get this crook outta there already.