Thirty years ago Glenys McMullen of APTE coined the following phrase as she described UPAC (Uniroyal Public Advisory Committee) more fittingly as the Uniroyal Pollution Appreciation Club. Oh my, Oh my. By January 1994 the Elmira Environmental Hazards Team were formed as we resigned from both APT Environment and from UPAC. I would be embarrassed to belong to either one today although I know that there were some good people on both who were deceived.
O.K. the title is somewhat confusing. No one, not even the dirty polluters themselves will ever admit to cheering for pollution. Rather they prefer to be known as pollution fighters even as they block, obstruct and undermine any and all initiatives to achieve less pollution. Their objections are ideological as in all possible costs of production should be externalized and borne by the human race, the natural environment, taxpayers, governments or anybody but themselves, the profit-makers.
Their methods of course are scurrilous. Obfuscation, puffery, misinformation, psuedo science, junk science and simply overall gilding of the lily are their stock in trade. Combined with seducing possible allies and or opponents. Local politicians are top of their list followed by influential citizen leaders. Look for both individual and group weaknesses or desires and exploit or provide as required to gain influence.
The key eventual fellow travellors are municpal councils (Woolwich), Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA), the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MECP), the occasional or hopefully rare co-opted citizen (you know who), regional councils (RMOW) and possibly the odd client driven consulting company (CRA/GHD).
This cycle can only be broken by courageous, driven truth seekers who can not and will not abide corruption.
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