Bracing for a time of tumult

It was all Sturm und Drang at the Friday morning presentations at the Global Business Forum.

Participants were jolted awake by the comments made by author and journalist Gwynne Dyer, whose grim message was that the world is heating much faster than scientists anticipated. Without strong and swift action aimed at reversing the trend, said Dyer, the world faces an apocalyptic future of famine, unpredictable weather patterns and drought. And these were just a few of the highlights.

It was enough to have everyone bolting from the room in search of a stiff drink.

But it didn’t end there.

The panel discussion following Dyer’s bleak pronouncements, not to mention Karen A. Harbert’s address over lunch, offered only more uncertainty. Harbert, president and chief executive of the Institute for 21st Century Energy, painted a depressing picture of the situation south of the border on climate change legislation, along with other energy-related initiatives that could act as disincentives for private-sector investment.

Calgary Herald