In the 2015-2018 Term of Council Priorities, I notice there is no mention of the Energy East pipeline.

No doubt this is an oversight, but perhaps a rather serious one, as the absence of this remarkable undertaking does impinge upon the desired effectiveness of some items under the heading, Sustainable Environmental Services.

I do not see how, for example, the Water Environment Strategy - excellent as it may be - could possibly be effective in the event of a spill from a broken pipeline carrying diluted bitumen, and following a route close to the Ottawa River, upstream of the City.

Nor do I see how the laudably frank Air Quality and Climate Change Management Plan could maintain its entire relevence, if at the same time the Energy East pipeline were to be built and utilized on land falling within the authority of this City.

Any jurisdiction which allows the Energy East pipeline to transgress its territory directly facilitates the massive increase in greenhouse gas emissions which this project will unavoidably generate.

This is what over 100 eminent scientists from across North America are asking us not to allow, by calling - only last week - for a moratorium on new oil sands development; because the climate changes we are now experiencing, the result of global warming, are caused by overloading the atmosphere with too much carbon dioxide, a by-product of burning fossil hydrocarbons, like the tar sands.

That much we know is definately true; what we do not know exactly is what will happen to us when we allow the global average temperature to rise beyond the 2 degree Celsius mark agreed upon by climatologists as the maximum heat increase beyond which climate chaos will ensue, making the life, work and opjectives of our City, and our civilization, if not entirely impossible, then at least greatly diminished. This is not a prospect any rational person should be forced to contemplate today, given both the viability and availability of clean, alternative energy sourcing in Canada.

But the fossil fuel corporations operating in this country desire everyone to continue burning their product, as they have no wish to relinquish the political clout they have enjoyed for so long; they are desperate to export the bitumen of the tar sands, the worlds most toxic and most expensive fuel, and of course they tell us our economy will suffer if we don't let them go ahead with this foolhardy venture.

The fossil hydrocarbon business, in it's madness, reminds me of King Lear, warning, 'Come not between the dragon and his wrath.'

What is this threat? The Energy East pipeline, should it be built in spite of the increasingly stranded assets of the tar sands, would create pathetically few jobs, but endanger many communities, including Ottawa. The poisonous muck that will be sqot down the pipe will be for export, to whoever is shortsighted - or cynical - enough to burn it. The mining, processing and refining of tar sands bitumen, then the combustion of the final product will put so much excess carbon into earth's atmosphere that it will be, in the words of world-renowned climatologist James Hansen, 'game over' for all of us.

That term, 'game over', is a very mild expression to describe the worst possible thing that could happen to us, and for myself forbidding in it's understatement; because what happens when global mean temperature continues to rise will be unprecedented, uncontrollable, and more limiting to our activities and aspirations than just about anything since the last Ice Age.

Apologists for the oil corporations say it will be very difficult to transition to clean, sustainable energy sourcing. I won't argue with that, but are they implying we can't do it? We're Canadians, difficult is what we do, we're good at it. All we need is solid political and moral support from all levels of government: federal, provincial and municipal, then just watch us.

Please don't tell me it's not the business of municipalities to interfere in matters of national or international import. This is everyone's business. This is our future, hanging in the balance.