Do we want resistance to change or new opportunities?: Hugh Holland  | Commentary 

By Hugh Holland

The first and second industrial revolutions ushered in the two biggest periods of economic growth in history. They also created the interactive crises of population growth and climate change. In periods of change, there are always leaders who focus on the growing pains and try to exploit resistance to change, and there are leaders who try to capture the opportunities.

We are now into the third industrial revolution. 

An exploding world population

In 1972, as the global population approached 4 billion, and an international think tank called The Club of Rome warned of the “Limits to growth” with over-consumption of the earth’s finite reserves of energy, critical minerals, and food. But, in just 50 years, the global population doubled to 8 billion in 2024.  

Climate change

After 200 years of the burning of carbon-based fuels (carbon emissions act as a greenhouse roof, trapping solar radiation that is causing global warming), the result has been:  

• Sea ice and glaciers melting > rising sea levels > increased coastal flooding and storm surges
• Higher temperatures > more evaporation > more precipitation and flooding in prone areas
• Higher temperatures > droughts in prone areas > crop failures and wildfires 
• Hurricanes and tornadoes are becoming more powerful. These storm systems draw their energy from warmer ocean and land temperatures, extreme winds, and flooding that destroys food crops and buildings. 

In 1989, after decades of warning, the UN formed the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) with the world’s top meteorologists. 35 years later, some misguided politicians still deny the facts and waste precious time blaming inflation on their opponent’s economic policies. But 2024 had the highest temperatures on record with increased severity and the compounding of extreme weather events, inflating the cost of living, insurance, and taxes and driving the migration of people from the global south, disrupting the north. 

According to data from UN demographics, the population has already peaked in 63 countries with aging and shrinking populations. The global population is forecast to peak in 2085. Africa and the Middle East will be the most significant challenges. Extreme poverty often brings high population growth (e.g., Nigeria, Afghanistan, Haiti), and that often becomes a problem for many other countries. 

Population Pyramids of the World from 1950 to 2100 – PopulationPyramid.net

Solving the interactive challenges of population growth and climate change seems like Mission Impossible, but with the global population starting to decline and growing production and use of unlimited and much more universally available zero-emission wind, solar, geothermal, and nuclear energy, we now have a chance to avoid both a climate and human catastrophe, “should we choose to accept it.” 

The immediate question is, who is best suited to lead us at this critical time? Do we need someone who is focused on resisting change or someone who is focused on capturing new opportunities? 

Donald Trump is leading a backward resistance to change that will be a major setback for the USA. 

Few leaders understand this complex jigsaw puzzle as well as Mark Carney.  He is an experienced and talented leader. He was a typical hockey-playing Canadian boy growing up in Edmonton, Alberta. He attained high honours in economics at Harvard and Oxford. He worked for 13 years in private sector finance for Goldman Sachs in NYC, London, and Tokyo. He served as governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England. As Chair of the International Financial Stability Board, he demonstrated the ability to unite the world’s bankers in finding a solution to the 2008 global financial crisis. As the UN Special Envoy for Climate Change, he dramatically increased global investment in clean energy. Politicians who attack him with slogans and insults show themselves to be incapable of civil and rational discussion. 

He is clearly the best-prepared person to lead Canada through the dual challenges of dealing with the threats of Donald Trump and capturing the many opportunities in the emerging age of clean energy. 

Hugh Holland

Hugh Holland is a retired engineering and manufacturing executive living in Huntsville, Ontario.

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