INNOVATION March-April 2014

l et ter s

Paper Needs to Identify P.Eng. Involvement “A Changing Climate in British Columbia,” APEGBC’s Position Paper on Climate Change, starts well with its recog- nition of the impacts of climate change on the infrastructure engineers are asked to design. Over the lifetime of those projects, climate and weather- related risks are indeed likely to become more severe than those documented in the past. The position paper says, “APEGBC registrants are often required to provide information to decision-makers on the pros and cons of various courses of action,” but it fails to acknowledge the obvious: Some of those courses of action aggravate climate change itself. APEGBC will fail in its duty to “promote safety of the public and protection of the envi- ronment” until it addresses the responsibility of its registrants to incorporate reduction of the causes of climate change into their advice to decision-makers. Given the threat of climate change to the general popula- tion and future generations—as well as to built infrastruc- ture—engineers should consider the option of declining participation on certain projects. Donald Scarlett, P.Eng. Kaslo, BC Climate Change Not up for Debate As a professional geoscientist, I was pleased to see APEGBC issue a policy paper on climate change. However, I was disap- pointed reading the actual document. In stating that “APEGBC recognizes that the climate in British Columbia is changing”, the document appears so equivocal as to be meaningless.

Letters to the Editor containing your views on topics of interest are encouraged. Opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are not necessarily endorsed by APEGBC. Letters can be e-mailed to mgrady@apeg.bc.ca.

Realizing Sustainable Practices I receive the APEGBC Professional Journal on a regular basis. It is individually addressed and mailed to my office, as are most of the subscriptions for my coworkers. This means that there are dozens of copies of the same maga- zine located around the office, and there may be a more efficient and environmentally friendly solution for keep- ing us up-to-date with the association and our changing careers. The electronic copy should be the default, and members should opt to receive the paper journal if they so desire. When mailing to a business address with individual addressees, we could be equally well-served with a shared copy. Perhaps this may be an initiative in the future, or something that is currently under review, but I wanted to bring to your attention that this would be something I support. I understand APEGBC’s stance on climate change, and the issuance of redundant copies of individually addressed mail seems counterintuitive with the multitude of other media channels available to communicate with members. Andrew Jensson, P.Eng. Vancouver, BC

Position Paper States the Obvious I was flabbergasted to see that our Position Paper on Climate Change merely states the obvious: “APEGBC recognizes that the climate is chang- ing,” without mentioning the principle reason—human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Even our provincial government recognizes this fact and has set GHG reduction targets, as does NASA and 99% of informed scientists. Could it be that we are compromised in taking a principled stand on this issue because some of our members make their living in oil and coal extraction industries? How can society, or indeed the Provincial government who look to us for informed advice, take our association seriously when we take such a lukewarm position on what is probably the greatest threat facing humanity in the 21 st century? Most disappointing. Mel Coulson, P. Eng. Quick, BC

Continued on page 6

Bull Housser’s lawyers have been trusted to handle some of the largest developments and transactions in British Columbia’s history. Today we have more than 30 areas of expertise, including core BC industries and specialty areas, and remain focused on reaching effective resolutions for our clients. We apply creative approaches to deliver solutions that are practical and cost-efficient. We’ve been around for over a century, but we’re just getting started...

5

M a r ch/A p r i l 2 014

i n n o v a t i o n