Climatic Short-Sightedness

For a wealthy country it's truly a shame that Canada eschews the necessity to adequately fund science and research. There are so many research projects ongoing in the country, yet all of those projects, with few exceptions, operate on a shoestring of funding, never quite knowing whether the funding will continue. Research and development is important to any country, and governments have an obligation to the future and well-being of their country to fund ongoing projects securely.

Not in Canada, for some puzzling reason. We have the scientific know-how, we have the keen minds and scientific backgrounds, and there is no really good reason why the federal government has always been rather stand-offish about its obligations to recognize the need for secure funding for research. Talk about ambivalent; the current prime minister spoke of the country's commitment to Arctic science. Partly to protect the country's heritage and 'ownership' of now-contested territory.

Yet the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory in Nunavut, 1,500 kilometres above the Arctic Circle, just about the farthest north possible, stands in peril. It can access funding for upgrading of the facility, but the funding to ensure its ongoing research capabilities is uncertain. For the perfectly logical reason that the National Sciences and Engineering Research council which provides its funding is itself the victim of federal government cut-backs.

In the recently handed down budget there was no funding for climate and atmospheric science. Although funding was made available to maintain and upgrade existing Arctic research stations. So the infrastructure is assured for the time being, but funding to enable scientists to do their research, not so much, since their current funding is speedily reaching the point of no return.

The research being done at the facility has its focus on the Arctic atmosphere, itself a barometer of climate across the country, and by extension, the rest of the planet. From its position the Earth's protective ozone layer can be optimally studied, and climatic change observed.

What the matter with this country?