In the real world, the Tories are still gutting climate change programs. They have no plan to reduce greenhouse gases and don't believe the science. So, their only option for victory is to sell a fantasy. The fantasy they are going to try to sell is that their "intensity target" based approach is the only "realistic" way to deal with greenhouse gases. The fact that intensity targets will not bring down absolute emissions will not come into it (and I suspect the MSM will buy into the narrative, by reporting the debate and the political saleability of the plan, rather than the science). All those who question the brilliance of this approach will be branded "unrealistic" (as in "so and so is being unrealistic, as anything other than our plan will destroy the economy."). It reminds me very much of the "arguments" of the war hawks before the Iraq disaster, which shouldn't surprise me, because it is the same people, by and large, getting the firewood ready for the new witch burnings.
Will this fantasy sales pitch work? Well, people did buy pet rocks for a while and Mike Harris did have some success at the polls, until the schools fell apart and people started dying from bad water. Fear of an economic armageddon is a pretty potent weapon and an easily understood message. So, I guess it is possible. Sooner of later though, reality will out and then the government will have to stand up and tell the world that not only could we not reach our 2012 targets, but we will probably not make any subsequent reduction targets either. The Canadian people will not like that admission and will probably not reward any government that pushes that line. But by then, it may not matter.
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